I am terrible with money- budgeting, saving, spending...everything. I'ts a difficult game for me to understand, because I am such a hands on learner its hard for me to grasp money going out and coming in when everything is automated and we use credit/debit cards all the time. Mike and I are constantly re-evaluating our budget and how to stay on that budget...its so darn hard! However, I came across this idea that I liked and worked for me on a smaller scale:
"52 week money challenge"
For each week of the year you put away that much money in a jar. Example: Week 1: one dollar, Week 2: two dollars....Week 52: fifty-two dollars. So in total at the end of the year you will have: 1,378.00 dollars!
So you need to find a Large Jar...Pickles anyone?
I spray painted the top for fun!
Print out your template and Modge Podge it
*Poof* done!
Wowzers, so simple. There is something I understand and get about taking physical cash every week out of my wallet and putting it in my jar....its very empowering! Hey, look I am saving! I seriously feel like a kid (...its probably because this was a tool your teachers used to teach you how to save in like 1st grade) and I am doing it...and loving it! Its so much easier too to part with your money when it is in small increments.
I have a goal for that money, don't you worry. If we don't get to it sooner it will go to a much needed master-bath update....you know one of those homeowner things that has been on your list since you bought the house (ahem, 5 years ago)! We keep saying to ourselves "we need to save up"...well here I am finally "saving up!".
Also something I might use this jar saving idea for is... Christmas gifts! We don't spend that much money on Christmas gifts, but a good chunk could go for getting some great stuff, plus scheduling wise it works out great....If I start in January then the jar will be pretty much "Full Jar-ed" by December. I buy Christmas presents throughout the year, so I might need to stock pile a jar a year in advance so I am free to spend it on gifts throughout the year. Anywho, pretty cool idea huh?
Won't You join me in this challenge? It is never too late to start saving.
Do you have any money saving tips? Please help me out! Happy Saving!
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Thank you, Cassie, for sharing your thrift with us!
If you want to save money, I highly recommend You Need a Budget (http://www.youneedabudget.com/). I am not an affiliate and do not get anything for recommending the program. My husband and I have simply been using YNAB for the last 4 years and it works. The premise is that you give every dollar a job before you spend it. The mother of one of my godchildren recommended this program to our homeschool group, stating, "Budget is not a four-letter word." She was correct. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your master bathroom remodel!
Christine, thanks for the tips! I will have to check that out! I am jealous you have found a system that works for you ;)
DeleteThanks for having me Bonnie!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the guest post! I'm not sure--wouldn't it be harder to continue this method as the year goes on? It seems like it would be easy to be excited as you go through the first part of the year and you can be like, "Self, good job! You saved a $1 this week and that makes you a hero." Then later might it not be, "Save $48 this week? That is impossible. That is $200 this month." At least I think that is how I would handle something like this, but maybe it gets easier as you rev up.
ReplyDeleteWe have had some luck with having separate bank accounts. We moved our emergency fund into a separate bank, so it takes a few days to transfer money. This helped us stop dipping into it for "emergencies" that were more like "predictable expenses when you own a car/house." Then we kept some money in a savings account attached to our checking account. We know what we usually need in our checking account, and the savings account is enough to cover the big fluxes that come with a car repair or typical home repair. We then automated $25/week transferred to our ER fund, so that even if we don't eek out any big windfalls, it is slowly growing over time. We also have separate accounts for each of our "fun money", each kid's birthday money, and saving for home improvement projects.