Skip to main content

Saving Money AND Having Fun While Doing It

 Gamification:  Definition:  "adding game mechanics into non-game environments, like a website, online community, learning management system or business' intranet to increase participation." ...or in my case, "adding game mechanics into not-game environments like saving money....to increase participation."

Yesterday, while reading the monthly email that my thermostat brand sends me to tell me that I am thiiiis close being considered (amongst their customers in the area I live) the 'most efficient user' of energy, I started to think about what I could do to 'win' by moving the proverbial needle further along the spectrum to 'most efficient user.'  Needles to say, I bumped the thermostat down another degree (from 61 at night to 60) to see if that does the trick.  

In the 12 hours since that email, I've further realized over the course of just a half-dozen-ish blog posts that I regularly use the words 'play' or 'game' when talking about what I do to save money.  ..and it's dawned on me:  I really do treat saving money like playing a game.  No bad thing-I am an incredibly competitive person who loves to not only beat others...but I love beating myself.  I've been competitive as long as I can remember, and in many ways, figuring out how to make my monthly energy bill go down, or how to save a few more $$ on that round trip flight (to the point that friends exclaim, 'wow-that's a great deal!' is how I stay motivated to continue to find ways to save money.

It may already be apparent after reading just a few of my posts, but saving money (*regularly* saving money...and regularly saving money on every day expenses) isn't easy.  It requires attention to detail, persistence, and also a willingness to be patient.  Basically, really very un-sexy things:  It sounds sexy to save $300 on that trip to NYC, but it's not sexy when you realize that it's taken weeks of watching flight prices to know what's high and what's low, and months of booking and rebooking hotels when prices and rewards fluctuate. And even more months of researching places to eat (or visit) that punch above their weight in quality versus price.  So, when it takes that kind of effort to save a buck (or 300), at least for me, the only way to do that (and do it again and again and...) is to turn it into a game.

Maybe it's just me.  ...and that's OK.  But, what about you?  What do you do to 'play the game' of saving money?  What is your take/your process/your approach to turning the un-sexy tasks of saving money into something that you not only like, but dare I say-enjoy?  Leave a comment below-I'd love to hear from you!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to Queen of the Discount!

Welcome to my blog, Queen of the Discount! Why 'Queen of the Discount?' you ask?  Two reasons. First: I love a discount.  Who doesn't, right?  But, I mean I *REALLY* love a discount.  To me, getting a good discount on an expense-whether it's a discretionary purchase (like clothing or travel) or even a regular, household bill (like Energy or a household repair)- is like a sport, a hobby, a dance, a thrill-ride, and a passion all rolled into one.  And, second:  I used to work in a profession that regularly created and amplified discounts for the consumers of the brands I worked for.  ...and I loved my job.  Doing this professionally allowed me to see the 'other side' of online couponing/cash back/discount website operations, and I learned a lot in the process. I know the games that brands-and deal and discount sites play because I played those very games. This knowledge is something I've applied to my regular life, and the rest as they say is histor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Credit Cards: When the Fees are Worth It

 With the Super Bowl two weeks away, it's time to turn to that next American tradition:  Tax Season! Kidding. If, like me Tax Season is not your favorite American tradition-especially if you end up owing taxes, I feel your pain. ...and I have a suggestion you may want to consider if that is where you find yourself in the run-up to April 15:  Pay the taxes you owe with your Credit Card.  Not Kidding. It's crazy, I know.  But, bear with me.  As 70%+ of Americans have a credit card that pays some time of reward (cash back, points, etc...), this knowledge drop is for most anyone reading this post. If you're going to keep reading, there are two things you MUST do to make this play pay-off:  1.  You have to read the fine print on the IRS website to understand what the fee will be for your taxes owed to be paid by credit card and 2.  You have to read the fine print of your Credit Card to *accurately* calculate what the rewards/cash back will be on t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Affinity Discounts-Part 1: Military, Nurse, Student, First Responder discounts-and MORE

In honor of this being Memorial Day weekend, I thought it would be a good time to post about a nifty Affinity Discount Platform called ID.me .  If you're a current or former member of the Military, you've probably already heard of ID.me (and probably already have an account).  If you've ever accessed the US Government's Social Security website, you probably also have an account.  You may not have otherwise heard of them-and it's time to learn this trick! ID.me started out years ago as the name of the company somewhat implies-as a way to verify identities for whatever was needed (access to military benefits, social security, etc..), and somewhere along the way, they realized that there are tons of companies out there that offer discounts to Affinity Groups (alumni is always a big one, but think about teachers, nurses, etc...as well).  At best, these companies would have an internal database where they manually track and manage all of their Affinity members.  UGH....
Post a Comment
Read more