Last week I learned I’m going to have to mail a big fat check by April 15th, so in about 60 days. You can figure out where the money is going. Taking money out of savings for something like that is like having to use vacation days to be home with the flu. Instead of taking the lazy way out I’m challenging myself to find the money elsewhere. I enjoy challenges. Especially when it comes to finding extra money.
How much do I need to find? Close to 2,000 dollars. I can hear you laughing now because in your mind there’s no way to find that kind of money in 60 days. Actually it’s a lot easier than you think.
1. Stop drinking Starbucks. In 60 days you will have about 240 dollars. 4 dollars a day for 60 days = 240 dollars. Simple math. Don’t drink latte’s? Stop eating out. That will save you even more money.
2. Don’t go grocery shopping for a while. Eat what you have at home, empty your fridge and freezer. It may mean some creative meals but you’ll survive. I can’t tell you how often people complain about the money they spend on groceries, yet their freezer is overflowing, their fridge is so packed you can’t see what’s in there and their cabinets have more soup cans than you can count! I don’t have an overflowing freezer but I’m going to have some empty cabinets in 60 days! The savings here will vary of course but it’s not hard to save 400-800 dollars in 60 days by not going to the grocery store as often.
Think you don’t spend a 100 dollars a week on groceries? Especially if you have a family? Collect all your receipts for 60 days. Just sit down when you tally them up because you may faint when you see the total. Groceries steal a lot of money when we don’t pay attention. Unless you follow a strict budget or the cash envelope system you tend to spend more on groceries than you think. And remember, things like chips, soda and ice-cream are all fun but huge money wasters. Cut them out, save money and you may lose a few pounds too.
3. Challenge yourself to drive less. Carpool. Combine trips. Ride a bike to work. Take the bus. Let’s say you’re able to save 15 dollars a week. Not huge right? But in 60 days that’s 120 dollars.
4. Skip hair, beauty and clothing shopping. I already hate clothing shopping so no problem there but I’m skipping a hair appointment to save some cash. I can survive going an extra ten weeks before cutting and coloring my hair. Besides, it’s winter and hats are in season.
5. Find extra money. Do a yard sale. Sell things. Find a second job or work extra available hours (that’s what I’m doing). Deliver pizza. Walk dogs. Mow lawns. Donate plasma. Sell things you make on Etsy. Collect aluminium cans and other scrap metal. Sell stuff at consignment stores. Sell cookies and pies. Savings: unlimited
For some awesome ideas on how you can save even more money check out 107 Ways to Save or Make More Money and my #1 Amazon Bestselling book* How To Get Out of Debt Living Paycheck to Paycheck or sign up for The Financial Freedom course.
By skipping daily lattes, making creative meals, driving less, skipping a hair appointment and working extra hours at my seasonal job I’m going to have the money by April 15th. Is it going to be all fun? No. But it’s also rewarding to give yourself a challenge like this. And it’s only 60 days. After that I’m going back to my normal budget that is a bit more lenient.
I invite you to join me on this challenge. It’s actually going to be fun. What ideas do you have? And have you ever challenged yourself like this?
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Great thoughts!
Thanks Tammy! Always money to save somewhere. Personally I love the challenge of emptying my freezer and cabinets on food and see what creative meals I can come up with. Plus a perfect excuse to clean them too while they are empty.
Great post that keeps lurking back in my mind, maybe It is trying to tell me something 😉 Well I need to work on point no.5 thats a sure thing (hustling on)! But I know I love to buy food, and superfoods and all kind of strange health store foods. So I think I am going to take your advice and have a deep look in the freezer and try to save some bucks or kronor in this case 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Karin! I love food too! And it’s fun to go to the store and get something new instead of eating something that well, I’m not in the mood for but that needs to be used up. I haven’t been to a grocery store in a week. I usually go almost every day. Saves a lot of money.
Great post Camilla! It really is crazy how much you can save when you take out a few things from your daily routine that are wants and not needs. It’s never a good thing to find out you have to pay the tax man, but it is a great thing to put a plan into motion to be able to gain that amount up in such a short period of time. Best of luck!
Thanks Joshua! It is truly amazing how quickly you can save up money, if you really put your mind to it. And there’s nothing like a little incentive from the tax man to get you hustling.