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Try one of these fun viral challenges to save for a rainy day
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A savings challenge is a fun, unique way to meet your financial goals and help you cut back on non-essential spending. Whether you’re saving to buy a house, build a retirement account, or go on vacation, we have all the best savings challenges to help break your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks. We also talked to financial executive Andrew Lokenauth and financial planner Samantha Gorelick to compile ways you can save a little bit more money every day. Keep reading for all the best savings challenges!
Easy Ways to Save Money Every Day
- Try to put away a little bit of money into savings every week—even if it’s only $10.
- Compare grocery store prices and make a list each week to reduce impulse spending.
- Track how much you spend each month with an app or spreadsheet and cut back on anything you don’t remember buying.
Steps
Section 14 of 14:
How to Save Money Each Week
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Track how much you spend every month to avoid impulse buying. Financial planner Samantha Gorelick says the best way to cut back on wasteful spending is to take “a close look at your actual spending” and cut out the things you don’t remember buying. Try to track where your money is going with a spreadsheet or by using a free app like NerdWallet or Goodbudget .
- If you look at your statements and see a ton of online purchases without remembering what you bought, that may be a sign to stop purchasing items from those sites.
- Whenever you want to buy a non-essential item, wait 24 hours. If you still want the item after, then add it to your cart. [16] X Research source
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Compare grocery prices online before you shop. Financial executive Andrew Lokenauth says the “best way to save money is to compare prices.” Before shopping, check online to see each store’s prices and try to pick the one that will get you the best deals.
- Lokenauth recommends installing an app that can “let you scan the barcode of an item and [compare] it to other sites,” like Flipp or Grocery King .
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Create a grocery list before you go and stick to store-brand items. Creating a grocery list and figuring out the cost of each meal can help you reduce hefty grocery bills. [17] X Research source When you’re at the grocery store, try to buy less-expensive store-brand alternatives instead of reaching for the name-brand product.
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Shop at discount or bulk stores. Discount and bulk stores like Aldi or Costco often have lower prices than traditional grocery stores. Some stores also run sales or offer coupons in the middle of the week. [18] X Research source
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Negotiate with your phone service and shop for better plans. If your phone bill is eating into your monthly spending, search for a cheaper phone plan and call up your current provider to ask them to change your plan. [19] X Research source
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Invite friends over to your house to reduce eating out too often. If you spend a ton of money each month going out or eating at restaurants with people you care about, try to invite them over to your house a couple of times instead. That way, you spend a little less going out, but you can still enjoy the company of your closest friends. [22] X Research source
- Gorelick says, “Things like enjoying meals with people they care about… are usually the ones that I tell people not to worry as much about because they're having experiences that fulfill their livelihood.”
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Prepare your meals on the weekend to save money on lunches out. During the weekend (or whenever you have time), plan out the menu for each meal and shop for each recipe. On meal prep day, cook the foods that take the longest to cook, like chicken or roasted vegetables. [23] X Research source
- Make extra portions for an additional day or two of meals or freeze a batch of food to dethaw later.
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References
- ↑ https://time.com/6249003/100-envelopes-challenge-tiktok/
- ↑ https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.php?p=Finance&m=360
- ↑ https://www.maine.gov/mdot/challengeme/topics/2019/dec/
- ↑ https://www.clevergirlfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/26-Week-Savings-Challenge.pdf
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/asiamartin/2019/01/17/its-not-too-late-to-set-savings-challenges-for-2019-heres-help/?sh=61696b9016fe
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/asiamartin/2019/01/17/its-not-too-late-to-set-savings-challenges-for-2019-heres-help/?sh=67b18a4616fe
- ↑ https://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/pdfs/savings-challenges/challenge-5-the-2500-savings-challenge-final-with-grids.pdf
- ↑ https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5yvp9/money-saving-life-hacks-tiktok
- ↑ https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.php?p=Finance&m=360
- ↑ https://assets.ctfassets.net/90p5z8n8rnuv/41XG267zNOlPEPz2jy2qYJ/77d05f0b1648c60a29e49458a5934128/Penny_saving_challenge.pdf
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/mar/12/how-to-succeed-at-the-no-spend-challenge
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/asiamartin/2019/01/17/its-not-too-late-to-set-savings-challenges-for-2019-heres-help/?sh=27ba21c16fe4
- ↑ https://www.nbcboston.com/investigations/consumer/nbc-boston-responds/the-nbc-savings-challenge-heres-how-to-save-1000-in-5-months/2322212/
- ↑ https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/how-to-save-for-retirement-and-why-most-cant-save-enough/
- ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/select/how-to-save-for-retirement-without-401k/
- ↑ https://americasaves.org/resource-center/insights/54-ways-to-save-money/
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177920731/save-money-on-groceries
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/savings/clever-ways-to-save-money/
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2024/01/02/1196978471/how-to-update-your-budget-to-cut-costs-and-save-more-money
- ↑ https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/financial-assistance-savings-and-discounts/lifeline
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/your-money/cable-streaming-bill.html
- ↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/friends-cant-afford-eat-out-all-the-time-2022-9
- ↑ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/meal-prep/
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