Fun and Easy Ways to Save Money

Saving money can sometimes feel like a time-consuming process and may be overwhelming but is often a necessary part of life. Read on for tips to make saving money easier and more fun.

Budgeting

The first step to saving money is to create a budget so you can be sure you are spending the right amount of money in the right areas. This may seem like a big job, but don’t worry – Cash Central has your back. You can check out our Budget Planning Tool which walks you through creating an effective budget, and once you have figured out your budget it will be easier for you to see where you have opportunity to save.

Saving Money

Now that you have your budget you can move on to the next step – saving money.

Switching to Cash

An easy way to begin saving money is by using cash instead of your debit or credit card for purchases. It is suggested that consumers find it harder psychologically¹ to spend physical cash than swiping a card for payment. Making this change could lead you to analyze where you are spending your money. As a result, you may see your spending habits change and begin to see an increase in your savings. 

52 Week Money Challenge

A fun way you can begin saving money is through the 52 Week Money Challenge. This way provides a challenge for you to keep up with as you save money. You start week one by putting $1 into your savings, and then put in an additional dollar every week following. On week two you put in $2, on week three you put in $3, and so on and so forth. Each week you’re challenging yourself to save more, and by using the challenge sheet² you can keep track of your progress throughout the year. Once the year is over if you have successfully completed the challenge, you will have $1,378 in your savings.

$5 Challenge

The $5 challenge³ is a fun way to save money and is another challenge that you play against yourself. In this challenge, any time you receive change or cash back, you take any $5 bills you have and put them in a piggy bank throughout the year. At the end of the year, you open your piggy bank and see how much you were able to save. Saving money this way provides two challenges: the first is seeing how much money you can save over the course of the year, and the second is being sure not to touch your piggy bank until the entire year is over. While this challenge suggests using $5 for your savings, you can also modify the challenge to what works best for you.

Sources:

¹Udo, Joe. Retrieved from: https://retireby40.org/7-compelling-reasons-cash-credit/

²Local Government Federal Credit Union. Retrieved from: https://www.lgfcu.org/sites/default/files/docs/52week_challenge.pdf

³Dow, Nicole. (2023, Jan 26). Retrieved from: https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/save-money/five-dollar-challenge/