Gamify Your Savings Goals With Sticky Notes

With the never-ending prospect of a recession hanging over our heads, building out your savings is a mental challenge. A tough economy is exactly when building up your savings should be a priority, but a tough economy is when finding the funds to save is most painful. In order to boost your savings habit, what you need is an engaging way to train (or force) yourself to set aside a little money every day. Enter: the sticky notes method. Like with the cash stuffing method, using sticky notes adds a tangible element to savings to make your goals feel more real—you know, like what piggy banks used to do. Here’s what to know about using sticky notes to make saving money more fun while you work toward your savings goals.

How to use sticky notes to save more money

This hack comes from a trend on TikTok, aka the number one hub of perfect personal finance advice. (Kidding: TikTok is not all bad, but beware of any financial advice you find on your “for you” page.) As we’ve previously covered, and as you’ve probably noticed in your own life, touching money and giving it away can actually hurt on an emotional level. On the flip side, adding the element of physical touch can incentivize you to be more aware of—and excited by—the money you’re saving. This is where the sticky notes come in. Here’s how it works. First, write down different dollar amounts on individual sticky notes. The amount can be as small as single digits, but for bigger savings goals, feel free to write whatever amounts you can afford. Throw those sticky note dollar amounts in a container—perhaps a shoe box or a vase. Then, every morning, pull a note at random, and set aside the amount of money listed. You can do this through online banking, or, if you’re really trying to get a mental boost, create a physical savings box with cash. I wasn’t kidding earlier: Break out that old piggy bank. Remember, the amounts that you set yourself up to save should be personalized to your finances. To get started setting a goal amount, here’s how much money you should be saving in 2023. At the end of the day, the sticky notes method is a simple gamification hack to get you more in touch with your savings goals. The rules are simple, and the rewards are worth it.