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“I save a penny therefore I am a saver.”
This is part four of our Corona Diaries series on tips, tricks, hacks and whatever we want that makes our lives a bit bearable during Corona Virus. If you have any tips, drop us a line.
We all say we are not good at saving money. But that’s not true. It just has to become a habit. It’s all about small steps, steps to make positive changes. We need all the positive changes we can get during this shut down. A must read is James Clear’s “Atomic Habits.” If you only read one book this month, make it this one.
But a habit has to be fun! It has to be automatic. It has to show results. You have to change your mindset and say “I am a saver.” So how does savings become fun, automatic and show results? I use Qapital.
Qapital is a silly fun app where you create saving goals and savings rules to fund your savings goals.
Savings? Rules? Wait, it really is fun. But why have an app when you can just save money yourself? Well, have you already started a savings goal? Have you stuck with your savings plan? Probably not. The app helps. You don’t have to think. It does it for you. Savings becomes automatic. Savings becomes fun. Saving helps you build habits.
Download the Qapital app and get $25 in your account>>
So let’s get started. Think about what you want to save for. I’ve made two goals: emergency fund and vacation.
EMERGENCY FUND FUN
The emergency fund has been pounded into my head from that annoying famous man on Youtube who likes to yell at you about baby steps. Even if you can’t stand him, having an emergency fund is a must. But how do you start funding it? However the heck you want!
Qapital lets you create rules to help fund your goal. So for my emergency fund goal, I have five rules. But you can have as many as you like, as many as your budget will allow:
- Round ups. I round up to the nearest dollar on all purchases. (A penny saved is a penny earned, said Benjamin Franklin.)
- 10k steps. I pay myself $2 when I walk 10,000 steps. This has become a habit. I am a walker.
- 20K steps. I pay myself $20 when I walk 20,000 steps. (it’s actually made me walk around the block before midnight to meet this goal.)
- 52-week rule. You can start anytime. Week 1 I pay myself $1, week 2, $2, week 3, $3, etc. By the end of the year you will have $1,378.
- Starbucks $5. Yep, I pay myself $5 when I go to Starbucks.
The rules are endless. Use the app to help you save but also to help you develop habits – I am a walker. I am a saver.
LA BELLA VACANZA
The second savings goal is for my vacation. I’m not playing with this. I’m going to be on a Sicilian island for a month. How am I going to pay for it? Well…
I have the help from the free applet IFTTT. It is the free way to get all your apps and devices talking to each other. It makes your life much more efficient. But it also helps you save a ton of money. I hooked up my Qapital app to IFTTT. There are many fun rules you can add. But I only have one BIGLY rule attached to my vacation goal.
Every time the person in the White House tweets I pay myself $1. The dude does not stop tweeting.
(I may be on that Sicilian island for two months at this rate.)
So how do you free up money to save? It takes some crying, hair pulling and real talk. But you can do it. Here are our Corona Diary posts that will help you!
Remember, tell yourself, “I am a saver!” Make saving automatic. Make saving fun. Make saving easy. Make saving a habit.
See you on the beach! Well, next summer at least.
**Disclaimer – Qapital is not sponsoring this post. I just love it and have used it for years now. You get $25 if you sign up with the link in this post. Qapital has been a game changer and an easy way to save. Use whatever works for you to start saving for your goals. Happy savings!