Happy Healthy Families

A new year, a fresh start with your saving money goals. And I have a new save money game to try out this month!

It's simple really.

Take the paper towels on our weekly shopping lists. I don't know about you, but in our family we can go through two rolls quite easily each week. That costs us at least $3.00 a week. Now, it is one thing to tell ourselves that we won't buy those paper towels next time, and save that money instead. But does that work, really? And if it does work once in a while, that is not enough to make it a valuable savings in the money department. So--- do this instead:

Take the money you would normally spend on your favorite brand of paper towels for a month, put it in an envelope, and tuck it away in a kitchen drawer. Get out some hand towels and put them in a kitchen drawer. Next time you go shopping , decide if you want to take money out of the paper towel envelope to buy some, or if you want to keep saving that money and use the hand towels (which you can toss in the wash with your regular loads of laundry). My bet is you will leave that money safe and sound in that envelope. At the end of the month, enjoy your "savings!" and start again with a new envelope for the month.

If this works for you, try doing it with other items. I think what helps is seeing the actual money saved for a month in the envelope, as compared to the idea of money saved at the end of the month if you just try and convince yourself to not buy paper towels (or Starbuck's, or the paper, or whatever.)

You can do this with just about anything you want to challenge yourself on to see if you can do without it, even for a week. Just remember, calculate the total cost for a week, or even better a month, and put that amount aside right away. Just seeing that saved money every day will keep you motivated to stick to this savings game.