Ca-Ching!

Self recently launched a new blog, Save Like Me, and I love it. It’s so personal and so informative, which I think make for a generally fabulous blog.

One blog post that really got my attention was “My Favorite Ez Money Saver.” I was like, “Oh! A money saver tip! I love saving money!” I really do, too. I absolutely hate spending my own money. I squirrel it away in bank accounts or piggy banks or little bags tucked away in my underwear drawer. But then I read it. She suggests saving every five dollar bill you get.

Sounds pretty genius, if you have a continual flow of cash in and out of your wallet. Do I? Not so much. I often rely on check and credit cards to get me through the day, with an emergency cash stash just in case someone doesn’t take cards.

I’m just starting off in this whole “real world” adventure, so to me, five bucks is still a lot of money. Seriously. I’m not kidding. I imagine a lot of you are just starting off, too. So this is my take on the Ez Money Saver:

Idea 1: Save one dollar bill every time you get change from something! So if you buy a magazine that costs about three dollars with a five dollar bill that you don’t feel fully comfortable saving yet, you save AT LEAST one of those dollars you get back!

Idea 2: Save your change! I recently went out to eat with my aunt, and this guy passed by me dropping all his change. Being the nice person I am, I bend down to help him recover his loss. He says, “Don’t worry about it!” and runs out of the place. I continue to collect his change and proceed to put it in my pocket. I just made 73 cents. Then I went home and added the change to my super cool “piggy bank” that counts my money as I put it in. I love watching the number get bigger and bigger. Love it! But the point is, don’t be like that crazy guy and forget your change. Every penny adds up. So empty out your wallet or pick up that penny on the street (I pick up all the pennies I see. Sorry, but an extra penny is always good luck whether heads up or down.), and throw it in a super cool piggy bank like me or use a coffee can or use a sock. Just save it.

Idea 3: This idea is more for a card carrying person. If the purchase is under five dollars, don’t use your card. If you don’t have the cash, don’t get it. If you do have the cash, please go back to idea 1. Presto! You’ve saved!