Was it easier for you to save money BEFORE or AFTER the advent of home internet?

VWPolecat

But there was cross firing when you could be earing interest in two places at once.

LHW99

london21 said:

The internet has made it easier to conduct research and invest quicker.

And also easier to take your own decisions on investments rather than having an advisor (generally tied in those days) control what products you would be offered.

CompulsiveSaver

I used to save before the internet, and save now too. The motivation was there , and is still there just in case I suffer hard times.

I think the home internet made things more accessible, before the internet I would have to walk into town with my Building Society passbook/bank paying in book, withdrawing cash from one and taking to another to avoid the 3 day+ delay in the sending between institutions.

I suppose the thinking behind the saving is still the same.

Sandtree

It has clearly made it easier to save with the ability to cross compare prices for products and services both easier and over a much wider area than would have been practicable pre-internet. Its brought new competition, ability to cut out middlemen and easily shop from anywhere in the world. 

Whilst some may find its too easy to spend now too that doesn't remove the fact its easier to save. That as others have said is more of a mindset 

Sarah1Mitty2

sevenhills said:

I recently had no broadband and no mobile data. When I got data on my mobile I was buying online quite soon after.
Nothing major, I also bought some premium bonds. Some things are difficult to buy without internet.

I think you used to buy premium bonds over the counter at the Post Office.

ZeroSum

It's made it easier by virtue because the online banks offer better rates, the  there's all the money making cash recycling opportunities which you couldn't do before online faster payments transfer.
Then there's all the other ways to make a few quid like doing surveys or scanning your shopping receipts etc 

Obviously you need to be of a saver mindset in the first place, but for me my monthly broadband fee pretty much not only pays for itself but also gives me a modest surplus 

MSE_James

Modern app-based banking with instant notifications and instant updates to balance etc has made a huge difference to how I manage my money, along with the ability to easily use virtual pots to allocate my funds to different goals / purposes.

Being able to see the impact of my spending (and saving) reflected immediately, rather than waiting for a monthly statement in the post, makes all the difference.

CKhalvashi

MSE_James said:

Modern app-based banking with instant notifications and instant updates to balance etc has made a huge difference to how I manage my money, along with the ability to easily use virtual pots to allocate my funds to different goals / purposes.

Being able to see the impact of my spending (and saving) reflected immediately, rather than waiting for a monthly statement in the post, makes all the difference.

It does also give the ability to splurge a lot more easily though.

I have made some quite expensive purchases over the years that while not regretted, I probably wouldn't have made if I'd had to go to the bank to transfer money.

talexuser

Made no difference to saving or spending, just made everything much EASIER. Had to have brochures and performance tables from various platforms and read the Telegraph and Times financial pages to select which funds to invest in. Transformed the info available for DIY investors. Likewise had to post off application forms for the best interest rates described in newspapers and wait for cheques to transfer monies etc. Now virtually instant for us rate tarts. But it hasn't made me save or spend more or less, just get what I want and ignore stuff that isn't important.

Zola.

The digital transformation has led to much better wages for billions of people and created all sorts of careers that simply didn't exist before. It's created a lot more wealth for everyone who's not a technophobe basically