Make a game of saving!

**firefly615** · 07-02-2009, 06:17 PM

Maybe I am really weird, but I love to find ways to make a game of saving money. It keeps me challenged and helps me stay focused. Anyone else out there do this? Here are a couple of my "games."

1. After I pay my bills at the beginning of the month and put away a budgeted amount in savings, I look at the amount left in my bank account, round down, and divide it up over the 30 or 31 days of the month. (Say $1200 divided by 30 is $40/day). Then $40 times 7 gives me $280 for the week. I again round down and go to the bank to withdraw say . . . $240. This is my cash for the week. I use this to pay for everything possible (groceries, HB, haircuts, camps, whatever). My goal is to have as much cash left over at the end of the week. I can then use this money for extra savings or to buy a guilt free treat (a $6 iced mocha comes to mind

).

2. I always have a fun fund in place, even just an envelope tucked away. If I am feeling deprived and want to go shopping for clothes or something for the house, I allow myself to do it. The trick is that whenever I see something I like I ask myself if I want to spend $40 on that pair of pants, or put that $40 toward a weekend away (or whatever I have planned for the fun money). I nearly always decide to forgo the purchase. I go home and immediately deposit that money to the fun fund. I figure it would have been gone anyway, now it's only being redistributed!

Anyone else have any games? Or am I the only crazy one??

**AmyBoz** · 07-02-2009, 08:11 PM

I don't necessarily play any games, but I do love the challenge of saving wherever I can. Putting money away in envelopes, saving up the spare change, seeing how much I can save in a certain amount of time. I LOVE the challenge of doing this. So, although it's a little different, I totally get it!

**FrugalMomof3** · 07-02-2009, 09:45 PM

I dont have any games either but I do like the challenge of saving when I can. I too can go into a store and look at something and think to myself "$40 on this or save it?" I most often keep the $40 and save it.

I think the trick is to also tell yourself that you can always this or that (or try) cheaper by searching craigslist or your local thrift store.

**reginaastralis** · 07-03-2009, 04:03 AM

I'm kinda with th OP ... I tend to make saving money into a game I play with myself.

I'm also into "hiding" money. I have a lockbox that I throw all my quarters and dollar bills into. As a server, I round down whatever I make during a shift to a round number, and those dollars get thrown into the box. Once a month, I open the box and am shocked at the amount of money I've saved. If I have money on hand, I will spend it (and I'm sure I'm not the only person like this), so I actually have a key to this box that I keep frozen in the freezer. Nothing makes me work harder at saving, other than knowing I can't get to the money.

**Grainlady** · 07-03-2009, 08:42 AM

I like "found" money. That's money from rebates, cash gifts, collecting aluminum cans and cashing them in, garage sales, picking up a few odd jobs.

I also save my $1 bills - a thrift savings plan I heard on Neal Boortz radio program. Since we use cash for most purchases, those dollars add up quick. I also cut my own hair and budget $20 to pay for it and put it in the bank of it's REALLY saved. That's $240 I put in the Emergency/Christmas each year by cutting my own hair. Between the dollars, hair cut money, and "found" money, I always save between $800 and $1,000 each year.

**firefly615** · 07-03-2009, 12:58 PM

Glad to see other people do similar things! Whether we call it a game or a challenge, it helps me to feel less deprived and more in control.

Great ideas reginaastralis and grainlady! I do the haircut thing too only with my kids. As they have gotten older, however, they are less inclined to let me near their hair

**danni** · 07-03-2009, 03:53 PM

I pay all my bills online and after each one I round down the amount left and move it to savings. If I have $500 in there and I pay $74.36 the balance will be $425.64, so I will move the $5.64 to savings. You can pay 3 bills at once but I do it one at a time so I can transfer more to the savings. Dh thinks I'm crazy but loves the savings acct.

**Shelli_wnj** · 07-03-2009, 07:26 PM

I try to pay for groceries/gas with cash. That way, if there is money left over, I put it in an envelope and "hide" it. Then, when we have a birthday party or something, I feel like I'm using "free" money to pay for it! It sounds silly, but it works for us.

**mamamia** · 07-04-2009, 03:42 AM

I love it when I get GCs for filling prescriptions. I always challenge myself to see just how many items I can squeeze together within the GC amount. With matching sales and coupons, I usually surprise myself with the results

It can be alot of fun!

Fun post!

Theresa

**momof2joys** · 07-09-2009, 01:35 AM

My bank has the keep the change program, so all by purchases used on my debt card, get rounded up to the nearest dollar!! Pretty nice, that way I don't forget it about and still save!!!

I always make a "game" out of trying to see how much I can buy without going over my budget!! I am getting really good, I can actually buy $75 worth of groceries a week and make it look like I spent over $100!!! It is fun to see how many bags we can get each week, by only spending $75!!! It's a game dh and I play (I always win too...LOL!!!)!

I also "hide" my change jar and always pull the dimes, nickels, and pennies from dh's change at the end of the day, I only leave him quarters for the pop machine (although I am trying to get him to break that habit), he's doing pretty good!!

**mauimagic** · 07-09-2009, 01:48 AM

Great games, great ideas. I hide money away from myself and my DH - it always comes in handy. Today I found $20 that I had hidden in a file at school!!

I like the idea of rounding and transferring money after doing online bill paying - think I'll check with my bank to see if I can do this too!!

Have to admit that I am most successful with automatic savings, but want to try some of your suggestions too!! Mahalo!!

**gapeach** · 07-09-2009, 07:49 AM

I don't make a game but I do take the savings from coupons and store cards and put into savings. This particular fund is used for fun stuff like vacation, day trips, movies, etc. In the past I've saved enough to pay for a 3 day weekend on the coast.

**Incognito** · 07-09-2009, 08:38 AM

Just coping with another day is 'game enough' for me.

My reward is "being alive" at the end of it, and "keeping the wolf from the door" one more time.
And just enjoying life and all I still have left is enough for me.

**firefly615** · 07-10-2009, 12:18 AM

Thanks everybody for your replies to my post.

gapeach, I am going to start putting my coupon money into my "fun money." I figure since I am taking the trouble to try to start using coupons, I may as well pay myself the dividends!

mauimagic, don't you just love "finding" money! I always say a little "thank you" for the evidence of abundance . . . even if it's just a penny found on the street!

**mauimagic** · 07-10-2009, 12:23 AM

[QUOTE=firefly615;1199956]Thanks everybody for your replies to my post.

gapeach, I am going to start putting my coupon money into my "fun money." I figure since I am taking the trouble to try to start using coupons, I may as well pay myself the dividends! Great idea!!

mauimagic, don't you just love "finding" money! I always say a little "thank you" for the evidence of abundance . . . even if it's just a penny found on the street! Absolutely!! In going through the 'thousands' of boxes of paper we've saved for the past 30 years - I found a crisp $1 bill - more for the good guys!![/QUOTE]