Gemma Bird, better known as Money Mum, has become an internet sensation, amassing a legion of fans online after revealing she cleared her massive £225,000 mortgage on a modest £25,000 salary. The secret? Extreme frugality, including living off a mere £50 a week.

Now 43, the influencer is dishing out some much simpler financial tricks that could help anyone tuck away an extra £5,000 annually with minimal effort. Gemma spills the beans: "It's all about making saving a habit, not a hassle."

She continues to reveal her top savings tips: "Some of my favourite tips are small changes that you don't even have to think about and might not even notice leaving your account!"

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She has two savvy approaches: the '50-25-25' financial rule and savings automation. Setting up automatic transfers to shuttle money into your savings just after payday can seriously boost your bank balance over time, navigating past the pitfalls of forgetfulness or splurging habits. This auto-save strategy ensures your funds are squirreled away before you have the chance to spend, reports .

Combining this method with the 50-25-25 principle promises significant savings growth, according to Gemma: "50% of your income covers necessities, 25% is for flexible spending, 25% goes straight to savings, ideally through an automatic transfer on payday.

"So, if your monthly take-home pay is £2,000, setting up an automatic transfer of 25% means you'll be putting away £500, without even thinking about it."

Over a year, this could boost your savings to £6,000. For those who prefer a more hands-on approach to their savings, Gemma suggested the cash-stuffing method that became popular on social media during the pandemic. She explained: "It's really simple: label 100 envelopes £1 to £100.

"Set your own timeframe and fill each envelope with the corresponding amount. By the end of the year, you could save £5,050. If you finish the saving challenge before the end of the year, you could even add more envelopes to your stash – helping you save even more money!".

Savings, finance and budgeting can become tedious and monotonous, but the MandM ambassador might have a solution to inject some variety into your savings. Known as the 52-week challenge, she pointed out that you could actually adjust this timeframe to suit you.

She said: "This hack works by saving £1 in week one, £2 in week two, £3 in week three, and so on, increasing the amount by £1 each week."

With just over 40 weeks left in 2025, if you were to start today you could save up over £800 using this method.