5 Creative Ways To Save Money (& Make It Fun!)

Saving money isn’t easy and can feel like a chore most of the time. But, having money set aside can set you up for future financial success. For the best results, start small and make saving fun! You can start by saving money one of these ways.

1. Bingo!

Do 5 financial-related tasks, and get a Bingo! This bingo card encompasses saving tasks and other healthy financial markers. Every space presents a healthy money management habit for you to complete. Each week, print off this card and pick a row that you want to focus on. Cross off each financial task you complete until you get a Bingo!

If you want a Bingo card that focuses on building your savings, create one! DIY your own card and tailor it to your goals.

2. Draw An Envelope

Pick a financial goal. For this exercise, we are going to pretend you want to save $5,000 in a year for a down payment on a new vehicle. To reach this goal, you will need 52 envelopes; an envelope for every week until your goal. Once you collect the envelopes, write an amount on each envelope.

This part will require a bit of math because the total of all the amounts on the envelopes should equal your end goal. When writing the amounts, you can do it any way you want! You can:

  • Start with small amounts and grow the amounts the more weeks you go
  • Scramble up the amounts, like $200 the first week, $50 the second week, and $150 the third week, etc.
  • Make it consistent – Take your final goal amount, $5,000 in this example, and divide it by the number of weeks in a year. To reach your goal, each envelope will need $96 in it.

Once you write your amounts on the envelopes, you will draw one every week. The amount listed on the envelope is how much cash you should pull from your checking account and deposit it into the envelope for safekeeping. Once all the envelopes are full, you have reached your goal!

3. “Bad Habit” Jar

Much like a swear jar for a child, you can have your own “bad habit” jar and make money off of yourself! Not only is this a great way to save money, but hopefully it can help you kick a bad habit. Bad habits may include:

  • Swearing
  • Exceeding limits, like drinking more than one coffee a day
  • Nail biting
  • Sleeping in
  • Procrastinating
  • Excess phone use
  • Eating junk food

Establish which bad habit you think you can make the most money from, then establish an amount for each time you partake in that bad habit. For example, every swear word is $1. If you swear, you need to deposit a dollar into a jar.

It’s a quick and funny way to make some cash!

4. Change Hunt

Every penny counts! Even the one in your car’s cup holders, the random dimes and quarters that are sitting on your bedside table, and the collection in your laundry room. If you are looking for a quick way to deposit money into your savings account, go on a change hunt! Check every nook and cranny for pennies, dimes, nickels, and quarters. In small amounts, it might not add up to much, but once you find all the spare change in the house, it might be enough for a decent meal!

5. Savings Challenges

The internet is full of ideas, like different savings challenges. If the options above don’t pique your interest, try searching the internet. Your local credit union may have a fun challenge you can participate in with additional incentives attached or Pinterest may have a few ideas up their sleeve.

Here are a couple of savings challenges that can help you on your financial journey:

Holiday Dash Savings Challenge – Save money to buy presents!

$500 Savings Challenge – Save $500 in 5 months!

Whatever savings method you use, make it fun and be flexible with yourself. Life happens. With the envelope method, if you draw an envelope that pulls your purse strings too tightly, swap it out with another envelope. If you can’t complete a Bingo space, try looking for other ways to get Bingo. These are tools that will help you save money in a fun and encouraging way and build healthy financial habits.