Day 5 – Making Saving Money Fun

Welcome to Day 5 of the Master Your Money course!

Right now, you are probably thinking, “saving money is NOT fun.”

However, I want to tell you that you are wrong!

Yep, wrong.

Maybe you don’t nerd out as much as I do when it comes to saving money, but there are plenty of ways to learn how to make saving money fun. Learning to have fun saving money is always a good idea, because it can help you save more money.

So many people get tired of paying off debt and saving money, because it can feel so monotonous or they just lack the motivation.

This is why I believe the best way to save money is to learn how to make saving money fun. This can help keep you motivated and interested in saving money.

Below are some great tips on how to make saving money fun. Enjoy!

 

Challenge yourself.

Challenging yourself to save more money is great, because it can help keep your financial goal on your mind and keep you motivated.

Some ways you can challenge yourself to make saving money fun include:

• Challenge yourself to beat spending areas you constantly struggle with. You could try to spend less money on gas, food, utilities, and more.
• Whenever you do spend money on a “want,” you can put that same amount of money into your savings account. So, if you buy a $35 clothing item, then you need to also put $35 towards savings or debt. This will make things seem much more expensive, so you are likely to spend less!
• Take part in a no spend challenge. Read more about this in the section below.

Please download my free worksheet, the $20 Savings Challenge. With this fun challenge, you can easily save $1,040 this year without noticing!

 

Take part in a no spend challenge.

To some people, a no spend challenge may not be the most fun thing in the world. However, they can be a great way to let your creative side come out, because you will have to make do with what you already have.

You can do a challenge where you don’t buy any clothing, pantry food items, coffee, gas, and so on.

Now, you may be wondering how a no spend challenge can help you, so here’s how:

• No spend challenges can prevent impulse spending.
• You will find use in the items you already have.
• A no spend challenge can motivate a person.
• It can make you aware of your spending problems.
• It can help you declutter and prevent waste.

Read further at The Power Of A No Spend Challenge.

 

Compete with others.

You can even go a step further by making it a challenge between you and someone else. You can turn it into a fun challenge between your friends, family members, or coworkers.

Think of this as similar to when a person has a weight loss buddy. By having someone rooting you on, who is also going through both the good and bad times, you may be more likely to reach your financial goals.

You can compete with others to see who can save the most money, who can go the longest without buying a certain item, who can pay off debt first, and more.

 

Make your financial goal visual.

As mentioned earlier in this course, making your goal visual is a great way to find motivation and make saving money fun.

Having your financial goal displayed in front of you can make it that much more real, plus it’s nice to have a constant reminder of what you’re working towards.

Various ways to make your financial goal visual include:

• Create a graphic that demonstrates your financial goal. An example of this would work for something like paying off your house. You could have a picture of a house and section it into 100 pieces. Then, each time you reach a small payoff goal, you can color a piece in.
• Keep a picture of your goal on hand. Whether your goal is a vacation, your dream home, an item you want, or something else, having a picture will keep you reminded of it. You could even go all out and create a vision board on Pinterest or on a poster board.

 

Find ways to have frugal fun.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy your life while staying on a realistic budget.

In fact, I believe that many of the great ways to have fun are free or affordable. We spend hardly any money within our entertainment budget each month and still have a great time filled with new experiences. Just check out my Instagram if you don’t believe me!

You can have frugal fun by:

• Mystery shopping, while it won’t make you rich, it can be an easy way to earn free meals at restaurants, free outings, free hotel stays, and more.
• Take advantage of happy hours.
• Sign up for email lists. You can earn valuable coupons, free visits, and more by doing this.
• Visit the library.
• Go outside for a bike ride, hike, walk, run, swim, and more.
• Volunteer at events. Many events and festivals need volunteers. This may allow you free admission when you are done with your job!
• Find free attractions in your city. In some cities, there might be free visits to the zoo, museums, concerts, and more.

Well, that’s it for today. Tomorrow you will receive the next lesson that will teach you all about credit scores and their importance. Stay tuned!

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner MakingSenseofCents.com