Sometimes saving money means you need to do a little something extra on top of your usual budgeting tactics. Sure, you can meal prep and cut back on coffee all you want, but extreme savings situations call for extreme measures.
As in, you just need to have a secret stash of funds tucked away from the eyes of over-spending, savings-reluctant, splurge-prone people. Sometimes, you just need to hide money from your worst enemy; yourself.
You already know that having a solid budget is key when it comes to not overspending. And, to be fair, you’ve been trying to do right. You’ve familiarized yourself with which savings accounts have the biggest payoff. You’ve listened to a personal finance podcast or two. And, you’re committed to making this the year when you’ll officially move toward savings goals that are officially dedicated toward saving.
But, for all of the savings tricks available, sometimes all we need do is to hide money from ourselves. To find out what ways women hide money from themselves to save big, we asked our readers for insight. Here’s what they had to say.
First of all, let’s recognize how hard saving can be…
There’s no hiding it. I’m a slave to it.— AstroTori (@SchlessTori) August 7, 2018
I spent it all.— ℕ𝕪𝕒 𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕖 (@nyasimoneg) August 6, 2018
But, let’s think, is loaning money a way to hide hide money?
I am usually quick to help out friends, but I usually forget after I loan them, so its kinda like hiding money from myself…forever.— Kaeli Jae 🌴🌞 (@KaeliJae) August 6, 2018
Turns out books and tin cans are great options to hide cash
Put it in a book. Think “oh this book’s so special to me of course I will remember which one has this $100.” Realize some months later I have many many many books that are special to me.— Peg Aloi (@themediawitch) August 7, 2018
I have a The Tick lunchbox under my bed.— domestic rockstar (@domrockcharlie) August 7, 2018
Oh, and purses too
I put money in purses that I know I only use once every so often and in some extra wallets that I keep in storage.— Jennifer (@Jennifeerrod) August 6, 2018
I put my money in old purses and then when i’m organizing my old things I find it and get excited— jos🌞 (@josiebethh) August 6, 2018
Let’s not forget about shoe boxes, either…
When I was in high school, I would put my tip money in an old shoe box at the top of my closet. After my first year college, I found it again (same place) and it had about $200 in it lol. Completely forgot about it.— Nnehkai Agbor (@NnehkaiKAgbor) August 6, 2018
Or the classic freezer trick
I froze my Amex card in a container in the freezer, does that count?— Katie Harris (@katiejkharris) August 8, 2018
Or forget how *not* having cash makes it easier, either
I never carry cash – I put my extra dosh in a different account to my everyday one— Cheech (@thechiaralouise) August 6, 2018
Though, of course, there are always sensible ways to hide money…
Automatic deposit into 3 different banks… one that is a credit union and doesn’t have mobile online banking. Hello successful savings account!— haroness (@haronesss) August 7, 2018
By going to a financial advisor and putting a small portion of money into low-risk investments. Investing money always sounded daunting and like something that I couldn’t afford, but it’s amazing how much of a portfolio you can build up over a few years of small investments.— Courtney Kutzleb (@kutzleb) August 7, 2018
And, um, some hidden funds stay hidden…
in my college education still looking for it— laura abbott (@shlorasaurus) August 8, 2018
