Start stashing cash now and you'll be saying 'hola' to the pool boy in no time!

Are your finances looking bleaker than a British summer? Don't panic. Your balance might be more Butlins than Bahamas right now, but there's still time time to save before summer. With a little bit of discipline, you can scrape together £500 in just three months. Here's how...

3 Months To Go - Put It Away! - Open a new bank account (without card or checkbook access) to stash your holiday funds. Don't try to save your current account - it's too easy to spend. You should aim to transfer £40 a week, but this doesn't have to mean committing social-life suicide. Try swapping your car or train journey to work with cycling instead. It's a great way to claw back cash and you could save £1.500 a year in motoring costs. And with all that pedal pushing, you'll be getting a bikini body as you save.

2 Month To Go - Be An Internet Blagger - Shop for special offers to boost your balance. Recently, a credit-card offer from air miles - enough for a return ticket to Turkey. Also, get rid of any clothes you don't wear. Then sell them (or swap them for those Gucci shades you can't afford) on the designer-clothing sales and swipe site.

1 Month to go - Show Resistant - Cut out your pre-holiday shopathon and professional preening in salons. According to recent figures, you could save £350 by swapping clothes or holiday with your friends and using at-home beauty treatments - more than enough for your bar bill!

0 days to go - Take No Interest - This close holiday heaven but funds still falling short? As a last resort, you could pay for holiday on a 0% credit card. Make sure it offers 0% on purchases (and not just balance transfers) and pay it all back within the offer period.