Having Trouble Saving Money? Try One Of These Simple ‘Games’ To Make Being Frugal Way More Fun
At least once a week, we here at Wealth Gang share a story or tips about simple ways to put away money and get your savings in order.
Whether the article is full of tips to spend less money directly from the mouth and mind of Warren Buffett or cutting expenses to watch your savings skyrocket, we like to inform our readers of the easiest way to stash away money for the future.
We’ll also be the first to admit that saving money is pretty damn boring. Transferring money from a checking account to a savings account is about as riveting as watching paint dry. The only thing more boring is checking a savings account every day, especially one that doesn’t get much bigger over time.
If saving money is boring, then perhaps a little motivation will help. There are specific games to help save money, and this article gives several helpful suggestions to try.
“It makes sense that saving money doesn’t sound like much fun right now — but that doesn’t mean it cannot or should not be fun. Might we suggest bringing an element of play to your savings plan? When possible, make saving a game. This brings some joy to the journey of saving, taking some of the edge off the end result. “
Here are some suggestions of games to help save money that might work for your specific situation.
The Stretch Your Dollar Challenge
The first contest on the list of games to help save money is pretty simple and involves budgeting. Take a special event like a dinner or family trip and put a low dollar budget on the occasion.
For example, if dinner with your significant other typically runs about $40, try and go out and only spend $25. Bonnie McIntosh of ACE Community Health Inc. recommends seeing how creative you can be with just $5 or $10 to spend. In that case, tell your partner it’s a McDonald’s kind of night!
104 Card Savings
This money-saving game involves two decks of cards and stakes for not following through.
“Get a deck of cards and the buy-in of your partner [or whomever you’re playing with],” said Ksenia Yudina, CFA and CEO of UNest. “Next, give a money value to each type of card in the deck (in dollars, not cents). Each Sunday, you both draw a card and that is the savings goal for the week. Use a mason jar to collect each week’s savings and make it [a] competition. If you or your partner are unable to achieve the weekly goal, the loser has to clean the house or scrub the toilet bowl.”
The ‘Would I Rather’ Game
This suggestion came from Jon Dulin, founder of Compounding Pennies. The game is similar to “Would You Rather” except asks questions before purchasing items to make sure it’s a necessary purchase.
“I ask myself if I would rather have the item in question or the money in my savings account. If I want the item, I buy it. If I decide I want the money, I put the item back and transfer the amount it costs into a savings account.”
The article suggests other games to help save money like the Electricity Bill Game, turning saving into a competition among friends and family, and using a habit tracker to keep your spending in line.
Do you have any games to help save money that you play? Let us know.