Saving money is a worthless endeavor if you don’t really “save” it. Have you ever noticed that somehow your savings from altering your financial activities magically vanish? Do you find that the money just gets absorbed by something else. You need to “start saving your savings” to really make a difference.
Maybe you need to trick yourself into saving money. Maybe you’re one who sets a clock 10 minutes fast just so you can arrive “on time.” If this describes you, or if you’ve discovered that your savings seem to disappear like mine, you’ll love these sneaky savings strategies. How you use the money is up to you, but I would suggest:
- Start an emergency fund.
- Snowflake your savings to pay off debt.
- Save for your retirement or for a specific goal or passion.
If you’re interested in tricking yourself into saving money, here are specific strategies (actually they’re tactics but I love alliteration), to save money. The big picture is avoid spending your savings on frivolous stuff that you really don’t need!
1. Use a debit rewards card for all purchases. Use the PerkStreet debit rewards MasterCard and earn up to 2% cash back on things you were already going to purchase anyway.
Sign up for PerkStreet’s rewards checking account here!
2. Send yourself a bill for savings. We give high priority to printed bills so think of your savings as a bill that simply MUST be paid. You have no choice in the matter. Period.
3. Love those singles. When you leave the house every day, carry NO single dollar bills and at the end of the day, put all your ones into a savings “jar” when you get home. Every Friday, deposit the entire amount into a savings account at Ally Bank.
4. Your own restaurant. Learn to fix your favorite restaurant meals at home and save the cost difference. If a family of 5 eats out once per week, they can easily save $150 per month, plus making your own southwestern egg rolls is a lot of fun!
5. Your own tip jar. If you go out to eat, tip yourself the same amount as you tip your waiter.
6. Make it an even amount. Round up all your purchases to the next $5 or $10 (you pick) and save the difference.
7. Have you just paid off a bill? Save the same amount you were paying (unless you’re applying that money to another bill).
8. Join the club. Do you shop at a store that requires you to join their “savings” club? Deposit that saved amount (usually at the bottom of your receipt) into your savings account when you get home.
9. Get an ROI on that movie. When you return a movie (hopefully on time), pay yourself the late fee.
10. Charge your own admission. If you rent movies from an online movie service or from Redbox (and who doesn’t these days?), pay yourself $2 for every movie you watch.
11. Eat healthier AND save money. Forgo dessert when you eat out and save the amount it would have cost. Double the benefit!
12. Gift yourself the gift of less stress. Open a Christmas Club account and save a certain amount each month, even if it’s only $10. You’ll never miss it.
13. Make ‘em pay YOU. Regardless of what they sell, if you’ve switched companies for price reasons, save the difference. Think of phone companies, internet access, cell phones, your credit card, and others.
14. Can a lighter light bill mean a heavier wallet? It can if your utility bill came in a little lighter this month. Save the difference!
15. There’s cash in that lunch box. Brown bag your lunch at least 3 times per week and deposit the savings every Friday.
16. Own your own laundry mat. Drop a quarter into a jar every time you use your own washer or dryer.
17. Make cash rewards really work for you. If you use a cash rewards credit card (and pay it off faithfully every month), deposit the cash rewards.
18. Use coupons? Save the amount you don’t spend.
19. Borrow and save. Every time you get a book from the library, deposit half the cost of the book in a high yield savings account.
The key is to start saving something today and you can start by saving your savings. It doesn’t have to be a set percentage, a set amount, or large sum. Even if you’re on a tight budget, these small amounts will add up over time. Saving money doesn’t have to be hard (it isn’t hard to make extra money either) but it IS important to involve your whole family. Plan a treat for everyone when you reach your savings goal, such as such as a day at the zoo, the park, or a museum.
What other sneaky methods can you think of to save money?
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Wonderful ideas for building up the savings.
Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!
Very creative tips for saving, especially the ‘owning your own laundry mat.’ I would suggest using a credit card instead of a debit card. You can often find better rewards and credit cards offer better protection than debit cards. There is the added responsibility of paying off your bills each month, but it is almost as much work as making sure you have enough money in your checking account that your debit card draws from.
You might be surprised to find the benefits and protections offered to PerkStreet customers using their debit MasterCard
http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/perkstreets-perks-just-keep-getting-better/
The protections that were formerly only available to credit card users have been updated and improved for debit card holders, plus there’s no risk of falling into the debt trap for those who have recently climbed out of it.
You have given me good ideas here Ron. To tell you the truth I have been trying hard to tie both ends with my meager income and I do want to learn some ways to save. Thank you for sharing these ideas.