Kakeibo - the simple Japanese money trick that could make you 35% richer in 2019

You might never have heard of kakeibo (pronounced kah-keh-boh) but the 115-year-old Japanese money saving technique is something thousands of Brits now embracing.

It's a way to organise your spending - and people are seeing incredible results saving up to 35% as a result of using it.

But it doesn't just let you plan, it also inspires, makes you think and helps you achieve you goals - be they holidays, new cars, clearing your debts or buying a new home.

And what's more, it's exceptionally simple to do - letting you benefit from savings you make yourself thanks to a bit og timely guidance.

How kakeibo works

"The premise is simple: at the beginning of each month you sit down with your kakeibo and think mindfully about how much you would like to save and what you will need to do in order to reach your goal," explains the publisher of Kakeibo: The Japanese Art of Saving Money .

The Japanese word literally translates as "household account book", and you can now buy English translations of them.

They were originally introduced to Japan back in 1904 by journalist Motoko Hani, but they're more than just a way of recording where the money goes.

Because the secret to their success, and enduring popularity, is they also make you think.

It splits your spending into four categories:

1. Survival - food, children, transport, heating
2. Optional - things like coffees, shopping and eating out
3. Culture - books, TV, magazines, and films
4. Extra - presents, repairs, white goods etc

Once you know where your money is going, you have four questions to answer:

1. How much money do you have?
2. How much would you like to put away?
3. How much are you actually spending?
4. How can you improve on that?

You can make your own ledger, or buy one pre-made - complete with extra advice from, tips and motivation from financial experts, bloggers and money writers to help you on your way.

The benefits

Supporters of the technique say by thinking about where your money's going, as well as where else it could go, you could save as much as 35% compared to now.

Of course, you don't need kakeibo to do this, but the simple format helps you clarify exactly where your money goes and lets you think about things.

And that means you're armed with the information to make far better decisions than you would be without it.