Show notes
Saving doesn’t have to be boring. If you’re looking for an enjoyable way to save money, try a savings challenge. Whether you’re planning to build an emergency fund, save for a dream vacation, or develop better money habits, savings challenges can transform your saving journey and set you on a rewarding path to achieve your financial goals.
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Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.
Saving money can be overwhelming. You may not know where to begin, how much to save or even HOW to save money. Saving money doesn’t need to be stressful and it can actually be fun if you participate in a savings challenge.
Here are 4 savings challenges you can try this year to grow your savings account and improve your financial future.
Roll-the-dice Challenge
Gamifying savings is a great way to turn something that might be stressful or scary into something entertaining and enjoyable!
This challenge is flexible and can be done daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your goals and financial situation.
Simply roll a die and set aside the cash OR transfer that amount to your savings account.
For example, if you roll a 1, save $1; if you roll a 6, save $6, etc.
Looking to save a little more each time? Roll a pair of dice (or one die twice) and save that amount.
Make sure you record your rolls and track your progress on our Roll-The-Dice savings tracker. You can find the link in the show notes and at triangleuniversity.org.
Pause Your Subscriptions Challenge
Streaming services, food delivery services, and product boxes are monthly subscriptions that most American consumers pay for; some people have multiple subscriptions for the same service– for example, some consumers subscribe to both DoorDash’s DashPass and Uber Eats’ Uber One.
Too often, one signs up for a free trial with the intent to cancel before the free trial ends, only to forget and be charged for the service. If you’re not keeping an eye on your finances and tracking all your expenses diligently, it’s possible you’re paying for subscriptions and not even aware of it.
Take some time to go through all your bank accounts and credit card statements for the past few months and highlight any recurring charges.
Then, analyze the charges and decide which subscriptions could be paused or canceled for a while. Maybe you subscribed to a streaming service to watch one show a few months ago but haven’t watched anything on that platform since. Or maybe you’ve decided to stop getting food delivered anyway so you no longer need those subscriptions.
Pause or cancel any subscription you’re not currently using and instead put that money in your savings account or investments. You may even find that after a few months, you don’t miss those subscriptions anyway!
Round-Up Challenge
When it comes to savings, no amount is too small. Every penny you can put towards your savings goals adds up! That’s why a round-up challenge is perfect for people who are not ready to make large, one-time, contributions to their savings accounts.
Every time you spend, calculate the number of cents it would take to round up to the next dollar, then transfer that much into your savings account. If you’re using cash, put the change in a jar at the end of every day.
Rounding up your purchases and setting aside the difference may seem insignificant at the time, however the amounts will quickly add up and you will see how each drop in your savings account helps it grow.
The 100 Envelope Challenge
If you’ve participated in our other savings challenges, you may be familiar with the 100 Envelope Challenge but since we’ve seen success with this savings challenge, we decided to include it again.
The challenge is simple: Choose a numbered envelope at random and set aside that amount to save. Once all 100 envelopes have been filled, you’ll have $5,050 to either spend or put towards a bigger savings goal you have.
This savings challenge works best when done with cash so it’s perfect for cash budgeters!
Here’s how it works:
Head to your nearest Dollar Store and buy a pack of envelopes (enough to label them 1-100 individually)
Take the envelopes out of the box and label each envelope with a number (start at 1 until you have labeled all 100 envelopes)
Give the envelopes a shuffle and put them back in the box
When you want to begin this challenge, take an envelope randomly from the box and fill with the appropriate amount (For example: If you pull the envelope labeled “42”, you will fill with $42)
Put the completed envelope in the back of the box behind the empty envelopes or bring that money to the bank and deposit that money into your savings account.
To keep track of all your completed envelopes download and use our 100 Envelope Savings Tracker through the link in the show notes or at triangleuniversity.org.
Now’s the time to start savings and try the savings challenge that intrigues you the most!
If there are any other tips or topics you would like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org. Like and follow our Making Money Personal FB and IG page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on social media to share your thoughts.
Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.
Have a great day!
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