Four ways to make yourself richer this week

Hands up if you can't face looking at your bank balance this week?

Between all of the festive nights out and Christmas shopping, it's fair to say that most of our wallets are starting to look a little bit worse for wear. So what better time to take stock of our financial situation, and see what can be done to make ourselves a little richer over the coming week? We've teamed up with our friends at the National Lottery to bring you five ways to become rich beyond your wildest dreams* in a week. *OK, maybe just a little bit richer   1. Make a budget and stick to it  Starting the week with a sound financial plan will you and your bank balance in good stead. Sit down on Sunday night and map out exactly how much you want to spend throughout the week. Who knows, it might even become a weekly habit that saves you a small fortune in the coming months. 2. Plan your meals Bring a packed lunch to work every day for a week and you'll save a shedload of cash. Take advantage of the fruit, coffee and snacks in your office and avoid little trips to the shop during the week. At the start of the week, cook a full roast chicken, dig out those frozen veggies lurking in the far corner of your freezer, use the food already in your cupboards and cook every meal from scratch. 3. Say goodbye to those morning coffees We'll do the maths for you. Five takeaway coffees a week at €3 a pop = €15. €15 x 52 weeks = €780. That's pretty frightening stuff. It's time to start getting that caffeine hit at home, people. 4. Leave your ATM card at home Throwing purchases on our card is one of our biggest financial downfalls. Solution? Take out enough cash for the week and leave those precious bank cards at home. Don't touch them for a week. Go on, we dare you.