How To Save Money by Playing Games

We all love games, challenges, dares and bets … don’t we? We played endless hours of games as a kid and now we’ve become a society obsessed with reality TV which is games, dares, and challenges on the national level of ridiculous.

So, how would you like to save money by playing games? I think we would all like to turn the drudgery task of saving money, budgeting, and cutting costs and make the experience a little more … dare I say, fun. That’s exactly how my husband and I approach it and I thought I’d share some of our Living Frugal Tips and fun ways that we’ve turned saving money into a game.

Roll a Dice for Dinner

Roll a dice and the number that it lands on is the amount of money you get to spend on making dinner each night for the week. You can take turns with family members and see who can come up with the most creative meal within the  dinner budget.

Bye Bye Bills Board

This is a favorite game with my husband. He’s a teacher and when he had summer off and didn’t get a paycheck he always tried extra hard to reduce our expenses. With every monthly expense that he lowered or eliminated, he would write it down on a big white marker board that hangs on our office wall. It was fun for him to have it so visible as a reminder and to see how it added up. Our latest tally going on now for monthly savings:

• Refinanced home (lowered mortgage) – saved $646
• Got rid of lawn service at home – saved $100
• Got rid of lawn service at rental home – saved $50
• Called cable company and got bill reduced for 6 months (he said he was considering going to Direct TV) – saved $20

Total monthly savings = $816.00

You get the point. Other years we got rid of the bottled water company (saved $56/month), got rid of call waiting (saved $4.00/month).  It all adds up and that’s the point of this game. Have fun and get creative at finding ways to save. This is all money that can then be diverted into savings. In your budget keep paying the original amount each month – for example, pay the mortgage and then put the saved money in savings each month.

Dollar Dinner

Another version of the dinner game. Number squares of paper – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – and fold and place them in a bowl to pick from. You can put whatever numbers you want on the sheets, but I challenge you to go low. The selected number indicates the dollar amount you get to spend on making dinner each night for the week.

Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Another way to save money is to see how many days you can abstain — go without buying something. This doesn’t include regularly scheduled monthly bills. What I’m talking about is all those other purchases – lunches out, clothes, books, etc. Even see how long you can abstain from grocery shopping. Get creative and see what you can whip up in your fridge. You’ll realize when you don’t go to the stores, you’re not tempted. You’ll also find other ways to fill your life, or the voids in your life, with greater meaning … the quick shopping spree makes you feel good for a moment and then leaves you with buyers remorse when the bill comes in. If you fall off the wagon, start again and see if you can make it just … one … more … day.

Clue

Most people don’t have a clue what they spend their money on. Make keeping track of your expenses a challenge with a spouse or friend. If spending is a must, keep track of what you spend daily, and then each week compare and see who spent less. You can get a little pocket calendar at Target, Walmart or Big Lots for $1.00 and jot down your daily spending. This will also give you “clues” as to how to save money when you review your calendar and spending each week. The key is to do this with someone. Weight loss programs that are successful have a support group and a level of accountability with weekly weigh-ins. The same is true here.

Cash is King

Try going one month and only use cash. This really makes you aware of what you are spending when you have to pull out the green bills and not the plastic. Start by doing it for a week … and then another week. You’ll realize what you really need and want when you have to part with the coin.

Money Jar Madness

This is an easy one. Put all your loose change into a jar and you’ll be amazed at how quickly it ads up. A co-worker is doing this to save for a trip to Hawaii.

The point of all this is to make it fun. When you make saving money fun, you will be amazed at how your focus shifts to the game or challenge at hand, and away from the thoughts of feeling deprived or going without. It challenges your mind (to get creative) and your will power (to stay on task). We all need help to accomplish great things and what better than to turn money saving into your own reality game or challenge!

I hope you find these Living frugal Tips helpful. Please share your save money tips and money saving games.

Happy gaming!