If you’re making money, you’re probably spending money. And when you’re spending money, you may be wondering how to save money. And if you’re saving money, you’re probably wishing there was some way to get free money. The idea of money growing on trees or falling from the sky is a pipe dream, but your ability to trick yourself into free money is already available to you. You just need to know what kind of tricks you can pull.
Use Credit Wisely. If you know that you can make all your purchases on plastic and pay off your bill at the end of the month, then you should choose a credit card that pays you back. If you are an avid traveler, get a card that gives you points toward your favorite hotel chain or airline whenever you use it. Those rewards can add up quickly and you’ll be on your way to free perks before you know it. If, on the other hand, you get a little plastic-happy and know that you won’t be able to close the bill at the end of each cycle, you could benefit from using a debit card for your spending habits. Either way you choose to swipe it, having an itemized list of exactly where your money is going can help you to know where you can start saving.
And speaking of where you spend…Chances are there are times when you spend a few dollars here, a few dollars there, on coffee drinks and lunches out. You can start racking up the free money by bringing your own lunch or coffee in from home. And if you do that, you should reward yourself by putting those dollars you would have spent into a cash jar. Just put them in the jar and forget about it. At the end of the week, count it up. How much free money did you accumulate? Ten dollars? Twenty? Maybe even fifty? Keep saving or treat yourself…depends on your goals!
Count your pennies…You can also take out a certain amount of cash per week and promise yourself that you won’t spend more than what you take out at the beginning of the week. This way you won’t be hitting up the ATM for a $20 here and a $20 there. And you’ll have change that you get back when you break a dollar. Put all that coinage to good use and put it into your free money jar. Coins will add up. Make another promise to yourself: promise you won’t touch the coins until the end of the year. At your promised time, go change your change into dollars. You may be surprised with the extra amount you have on hand. Put that amount toward buying holiday gifts or put it towards a vacation. However you spend it, it is like getting free money at the end of the year.