Turn Saving Money into a Game

Can you think of anything much more boring than personal finance? Saving money, paying bills and getting out of debt are all incredibly important, but no one’s accused them of being sexy or fun.

Lately, though, personal finance writers and experts have been thinking about it, and they’re starting to ask “why not?” Why can’t personal finance be more like a game? Sure, it might never be fun, but it could at least be more fun, right?

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By taking some of the principles that guide game design, personal finance experts have been turning saving, paying off debts and more into little games, complete with missions, levels and baddies (the credit card companies, shops that urge you to buy things you don’t need and loan companies, who all benefit from your spending money).

Here’s their advice for turning saving money into a game.

Setting up your game

Whether you want to save money for a holiday or for an emergency, set yourself specific, regular goals. It can be every time you save £50 or if you’ve saved every day for a whole week. These goals will each represent a level that you’re trying to reach. If you want, you can associate each level with a certain number of points. When you reach the goals, you’ll level up.

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Draw one of those big thermometer things that show how much money you’ve raised, so you can constantly see the impact of your games. Fill in certain amounts every time you hit your goals. Also create a way to visualise the points you’ll be earning as you go.

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Create an inspiration board to keep yourself motivated. If you are saving for a deposit for a house, cut out images of gorgeous houses and rooms, so you can see what you’re working for.

Then start completing the missions below to earn points and level up.

Mission: Bust your budget

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This game is all about coming in under budget. If you spend £75 a week on groceries, try to spend less than that. If you end up spending £50, you get 25 points. Then put the extra money in savings, or pay it toward your credit card bills.

Mission: Make every penny count out

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If you can’t cut out going to the pub or going out to eat without feeling like a martyr, try this mission. Try to stretch every pound to get as much as possible for it. Let’s say you fancy a steak, but you could get two soups for less. Get the two soups, and give yourself points for the money you saved. You’ll feel like you cheated the system, when really you’ve just tricked yourself into saving some money.

Mission: Double your money

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Get yourself into the habit of saving regularly with the ‘double your money’ game. Start with a small amount, say 10p. On day one, put 1p in a jar. On day two, double it to 2p. On day three, double it to 4p, and on day 4, put in 8p. Do this for ten days. By day ten, put in £5.12, and you’ll have saved £10.23. Start over again at 1p. By the end of the year, you’ll have saved up about £373.40.

Give yourself a point for every £1 you saved.

Mission: Losing pounds

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This game isn’t about your weight; it’s about your loose change. At the end of every day, put all of your loose change, including your £1 and £2 coins, in a jar or other container. You’ll be surprised how little you miss your change once you get used to not having it, and you’ll rack up loads of money. You can then use those change machines in supermarkets to convert all that change into money for your grocery shop at the end of the month.

Give yourself points for all the pounds you saved on your shopping.

Mission: Sacrifice for your goal

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Is there something you do really regularly that you honestly could go without? Maybe you buy your lunch every day. Perhaps you get a fancy coffee in the afternoons. You might get your hair cut really regularly or take public transport when you could walk. It needs to be something you do regularly, but that isn’t necessary to your survival – so we’re not talking about winter heating or food here.

Pick one of these things, and stop doing it. Take the money you saved by not doing that thing, and put it towards your goal. Give yourself points for the pounds you’ve saved, too.

Level up when you hit a goal

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When you fill in your savings thermometer or otherwise finish a level, give yourself a small, somewhat cheap treat. It could be a muffin or a cute pair of earrings. It doesn’t matter what it is, so long as it doesn’t get you off track, but it does feel like a prize.

 

With that, you should have turned saving money into a game that you and your family can enjoy playing.