Gamify Your Savings Goals With Notes

With the never-ending prospect of a recession looming over our heads, building up your savings is a mental challenge. A tough economy is exactly when building up your savings should be a priority, but a tough economy is when finding funds to save is the most painful.

To reinforce your savings habit, you need a fun way to train (or force) yourself to save some money every day. Enter: note method. As with the cash-fill method, using stickers adds a tangible savings element to make your goals seem more real – you know how piggy banks did it. Here’s what you need to know about using stickers to make saving money more fun while you work towards your savings goals.

How to use stickers to save more money

This hack comes from a trend on TikTok , also known as the number one hub for perfect personal finance tips. (Just kidding: TikTok isn’t that bad, but beware of any financial advice you find on their “for you” page .)

As we have said before , and as you have probably noticed in your life, touching money and giving it away can actually hurt on an emotional level. On the other hand, adding an element of physical touch can make you more aware and happy about the money you are saving. This is where stickers come in. Here’s how it works.

First, write down the different dollar amounts on separate sticky notes. The amount can be as little as a single digit, but for larger savings purposes, feel free to write down whatever amounts you can afford. Throw those dollar bills into a container like a shoe box or a vase.

Then every morning, pull out a note at random and set aside the specified amount of money. You can do this through online banking, or if you’re really trying to get a morale boost, set up a physical savings account with cash. I used to not joke: tear this old piggy bank.

Remember that the amount you intend to save must be in line with your finances. To start setting a target amount, here’s how much money you should be saving in 2023 .

After all, the note-taking method is a simple gamification technique that will help you better understand your savings goals. The rules are simple and the rewards are worth it.