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How to trick yourself to save money?

Mastering the art of saving money is crucial to financial stability. But, of course, saving money is much easier said than done. And sometimes, you might have to use a little trickery or mental training to get ahead. So whether you have a problem with impulse spending or poor discipline, here are a few easy tips to trick your brain into saving money. 

Save Something Every Day

One way to trick (or train) yourself to save money is to save something every.single.day.

Now, this doesn’t have to involve large sums of money. Even if it’s just a dollar or a few cents, the goal is to establish a regular savings routine that becomes second nature.

There are several ways to go about it.

For instance, at the end of the day, you can collect all the change in your pocket or purse and place it into a designated coin jar. Alternatively, when you break a $5 bill, consider saving the $1 bills.

Another creative approach is the “bank account challenge,” a personal favorite of mine. In this challenge, you check your bank account and look for the last digit of the previous day’s ending balance, then transfer that amount into your savings. For example, if the ending balance is $415, you will transfer $5. This can be a daily practice or reserved for specific days, combined with other saving strategies.

You might also consider automatically saving and investing your spare change using micro-investing platforms like Acorns. Once you sign up and link a credit or debt card to your account, Acorns will round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the difference. You can also make one-time or automatic contributions at anytime starting at $5. Click here to get started with Acorns.

Related: 9 Money Saving Challenges You Haven’t Tried (but should)!!

Stop Viewing “No” as a Negative

Saving money inevitably involves making certain sacrifices – this is an undeniable fact. This might mean reducing the frequency of social outings or shopping sprees and potentially declining some social invitations.

However, the real challenge occurs when you find yourself saying “no” to activities you enjoy. You might feel as if you’re missing out or believe that everyone’s having a good time while you’re not.

Understand that this perspective can be detrimental to your financial goals. So instead of viewing “saying no” as a negative, you can trick yourself into saving money by reframing this as a positive action.

In other words, when you decline an invitation to go to the movies or indulge in shopping, you’re actually saying “yes” to paying off your credit cards, planning a vacation, buying a house, or simply gaining greater financial confidence.

Mentally Prepare for Splurges

Splurges are healthy and play a positive role in your savings journey. With that being said, avoid completely depriving yourself, as this approach often backfires.

It’s okay to treat yourself, as long as these are calculated and intentional acts. If not, there’s a risk of overspending.

For example, if you have a favorite iced coffee, it’s perfectly okay “not” to give it up entirely. Even so, giving yourself permission to indulgence shouldn’t translate into getting one whenever the mood strikes, which could be daily. It’s all about splurging the RIGHT way.

You have to take control of your splurges, and one effective method is establishing designated splurge days (and splurge limits). This offers a structured and planned approach to rewarding yourself. So rather than indulging every day, you can designate specific days – like Tuesdays and Saturdays – as your iced coffee days.

You can savor what you enjoy, but in moderation.

Related: How to Splurge the Right Way (and without going broke)

Recognize When You’re Being Upsold

Whether you’re at a restaurant, browsing clothing stores, or shopping for electronics, these establishments know how to persuade customers to spend more money. It’s an integral part of their sales training. So another way to trick yourself into saving money is to recognize signs of being upsold. 

Having had some experience in retail during college, I can attest to the effectiveness of upselling techniques. We were rigorously trained to use these strategies with every customer, and they worked in most cases.

We encouraged customers to try on clothes even when they were only browsing, and we would cross-sell items by highlighting how a certain shirt or necklace complemented a chosen pair of pants or other selections.

Of course, these techniques aren’t exclusive to clothing stores – they are widespread across various retail environments. Therefore, keep an open eye for these tactics and be alert to excessive helpfulness.

Don’t Trust Yourself

Spending less money also involves understanding how you’re wired and being truthful about your limitations.

Some individuals can’t handle saving their credit or debit card information online because it makes shopping too easy. Likewise, others can’t handle watching shopping hauls or window shopping. It’s too much temptation for them and often leads to unplanned purchases.

The issue, though, is that many of these individuals believe they can handle these situations. And because of this unrealistic view of themselves, they constantly get into financial trouble.

I say all that to say: You have to remove the blinders and recognize your own weaknesses, and from here establish personal boundaries to keep yourself on track. This may involve removing saved credit card information, unfollowing specific individuals, or blocking websites that trigger impulsive spending habits.

Your financial wisdom could inspire others! How do you cleverly trick yourself into saving money.