The One Little Money Trick that Helps Me Save Cash

I’m more of a spender than a saver.  It’s something I have always struggled with when it comes to managing my money.  I’m getting so much better at this, but it’s always been hard for me to just have a little cash on hand for emergencies because I can always find an emergency:  a new beauty product, a new book to read, etc.  Can you relate?  If I know I have money in the bank, why should I worry about having a little cash on hand anyway?  I could always drive up to the ATM if I actually needed cash.  I’m happy to report that I no longer think like this and I wanted to share the one little money trick that helps me save cash.  You may already know this trick, and if you’re reading this, I apologize in advance for wasting your time, but this just worked so well for me and it has become a habit now.

The One Little Money Trick that Helps Me Save Cash

Why Save Cash?

You may be thinking to yourself, why in the world would I want to have cash on hand when, like I mentioned above, I can just drive up to the ATM and get cash anytime I need it, day or night?  It’s simple: in case of an emergency.  What if your town lost power due to an ice storm and there was no electricity to get your cash out of an ATM and you needed food or water?  This happened when I was a teenager and I can remember the stores only accepting cash.  Of course, back then, this wasn’t a concern to me.  My parents handled that.  I don’t have that excuse anymore because I’m a parent now.  This is only one example, but I’m sure you might could think of more.  I recently had to take a trip for work and having a little cash savings stash kept me from having to make a trip to the bank before leaving town.  I always think you should have a little cash for traveling as well.

And Now For My Magic Trick…

There’s really no magic to it at all.  It’s simply this:  every time I go to a store and make a purchase using my debit card, I always choose the option of getting cash back.  It might be only ten or twenty dollars, but if I can spare it, I take it.  I then take it home and put it in a safe place.  I also make sure it’s a place that’s kind of a pain to get to, so I’m not tempted to run and borrow from it anytime I need some extra money.  It eventually starts accumulating and you would be very surprised how fast it adds up.  It gives me a sense of peace to know that if I needed a little cash in an emergency situation, I’ve got it covered.  You might be wondering why I don’t just go to the bank or ATM and get a lump sum and be done with it.  That’s certainly an option, but a convenient ATM isn’t on my daily path to work and back and since our paychecks are directly deposited, I rarely go to the bank.  Getting a little extra money back when I’m already grocery shopping is just easier and a gradual way to keep building on my emergency savings.

A Word of Caution, Though

While this one little money trick that helps me save cash works for me, it may not for you, and that’s certainly alright.  If you decide to give it a try, I would caution you against saving lots of cash in your home, for obvious reasons.  It’s much safer in a bank if you are saving large amounts of money.  I would also advise you to find a very secure place, perhaps a safe or fireproof lock box that can be hidden very well.

That’s the money trick that works for me to help me save cash!  I would love to hear from you if you have other ideas that help you save cash as well.

Photo Credit: ©carballo/Dollar Photo Club