Martin Lewis' MSE card everyone needs in their wallet - it's free

Martin Lewis' MSE card everyone needs in their wallet - it's free The Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder has explained how it works - it can save money and regret Money Saving Expert (MSE), founded by Martin Lewis, is urging people to use a free card to help when it comes to making shopping decisions. It says it can help save money - and stop regrets over purchases you might later realise were not the best idea. The wallet-sized Money Mantras card is free from the money-saving site. Shoppers can print it off, keep it in a purse or wallet, and pull it out before making a purchase. The card has two sides - one for when you’re skint and one for when you’re not. Users simply flip it to match their situation, then check it every time they shop to decide whether to make a purchase. This simple yet effective card could prevent people from making impulse purchases they might later regret. And with Christmas on the horizon, now could be a great time to implement it into your life. MSE states that before spending anything, you should use Martin's Mantras. If you answer 'no' to any of them, then don't buy. It explains that if you are skint, ask yourself whether you need it and if you can afford it. If the answer to both is 'no', put it back on the shelf. If you are not skint, ask yourself whether you will use it and if it is worth it. Again, if the answer is 'no', it is probably wise to remove it from your basket. 'Will I use it?', asks Martin Lewis A tempting offer doesn’t automatically mean it's the right deal for you. Martin’s Mantras page sets out further advice to help shoppers make more money-smart decisions, while recognising that the questions aren’t always easy to answer. The financial guru admitted: "Perhaps the most difficult to self-assess is 'will I use it?' which examines what economists call Opportunity Cost - in other words, could you get better use or pleasure out of the same cash buying something else? "So is a stunning £300 dress that’ll be used once worth it, if the same money could buy other items used more often?" Martin Lewis' Money Mantra Directing people to an MSE blog written by Martin Lewis in 2010, he explained: "Early in my career, I was asked to devise a 'Martin’s Money Mantra' to sum up beating your spending impulses for a telly programme. Yet after racking my brains for hours to create one simple spending panacea, I failed. "Different scenarios require different approaches, so I ended up with two; each has questions to ask before you buy." Sharing a tip, Martin Lewis recalled a shopping trip with a friend who couldn’t decide between two pairs of leather boots - one priced at £40 and the other at £110. To help her picture the real difference, the money-saving expert held £70 in cash next to the cheaper pair so she could see what the extra spend would mean. Joking that she hates this story, he said that his friend still opted for the more expensive boots, adding: "you can’t win 'em all". But the approach could help others facing a similar choice. How to get a free Martin Money Mantra card You can grab a free card for your wallet or purse here. You can print it in colour or black-and-white and then cut it to the size of a credit card so it slots in.