Pennies Not Perfection

Sometimes you need to pile up cash fast. This $1,000 30 Day Saving Challenge can help you set aside $1,000 in the next month so you’re ready for whatever is in front of you.

Whether you need the money for an unexpected expense or an emergency fund or another reason, savings challenges can be an effective way to save up money quickly.

Beyond just the savings challenge chart we also share some ways to cut costs and stash away that extra money to hit your $1,000 goal.

Save $1,000 In 30 Days

Save $1,000 In 30 Days Challenge Video

The $1,000 In 30 Days savings challenge is all about saving up $1,000 quickly. This challenge has multiple options so you can save a daily amount every day for 30 days. At the end of the month you will have $1,000 set aside for your savings.

This savings challenge is great for many reasons:

• short term so you don’t have to save at this rate forever
• can be accomplished quickly
• gives you a sense of accomplishment early in saving money
• save up enough for a starter emergency fund or emergency need FAST

This challenge can be difficult for many so it might be too much to start with. You can do the next two challenges where you save up for the whole year to get just over $1,000 as well.

Get the $1,000 In 30 Days Savings Challenge HERE!

What is a 30 day saving challenge?

The 30-day savings challenge is a simple plan to challenge yourself to save up $1,000 in 30 days. The printable savings chart linked above will give you a daily amount to save so you are able to follow a plan.

It’s a challenge for most of us (myself included) which is why it’s used when you need to pile up money quickly. 

To achieve this goal in one month you’ll have to challenge yourself to make big moves. This might mean not eating out, no shopping, or even adding an extra job or side hustle.

You’ll definitely need to have a budget set for the month and then still go the extra mile to complete the challenge.

$1,000 in 30 days probably seems like a stretch so let’s look at some ways to save money and earn extra during the next month.

30 Day Challenge Success Tips

Want to finish your 30 day savings challenge with $1,000 in hand? Here are a few tips to help you be successful.

Prepare Yourself

Getting prepared for a savings challenge is often the key to success.

Your challenge success actually starts before the challenge date arrives. The things you do to get ready will make it possible to complete the challenge without any spending mistakes.

Some things people do to prepare for a no spend challenge include:

• taking an inventory of the things you already have purchased
• planning out your meals to avoid restaurant spending
• creating a list of fun free activities you can do
• talking to those in your life about the challenge to help you

These are some of the things you can do to prepare for a successful challenge.

Understand Your Motivation

Another key to succeeding is understanding your motivation.

Why are YOU doing a no spend challenge? What are you hoping to accomplish?

Do you want to save money? Stop bad spending habits? Pay off a debt?

Here are a few ways to understand your motivation and use it to complete the challenge:

• journal your thoughts and feelings about spending money before and during the challenge
• create a visual reminder of why you are doing the no spend challenge
• make a list of the things you will feel or do when you complete the challenge
• use a no spend challenge printable to keep yourself on track

Determining your reasons and then reminding yourself of them will help you finish the challenge strong.

Avoid Spending Temptation

The whole point of a no spend challenge is to not spend extra money. This is hard to do because most people spend money constantly without even thinking much about it.

Avoiding temptations to spend money is one of the best things you can do during a no spend challenge.

Here are some things you might want to avoid during your challenge:

• stepping foot in stores
• browsing online shopping websites
• going to restaurants
• driving by fast food restaurants

Depending on how you spend money you might have to change your routine during your challenge. Removing yourself from the places that encourage you to spend money is very helpful.

Work For Extra Money

One things many people do during a no spend challenge is focus on earning money instead.

When you are working more you are less likely to be out spending money. This can also benefit you because you are able to increase the financial impact of the no spend challenge.

Need some money making ideas? Try these:

• Make Money With Canva (10 Ways)
• How to Make Money Selling Stickers On Etsy
• How To Make Money With A YouTube Channel
• Referral Codes To Make Money

You can also just sign up to work more hours or even start a new part time or temporary job. Making extra money will combine with all the money you save for a huge financial push in the right direction.

Ways To Save $1,000 In 30 Days

During your savings challenge you’ll need to cut your spending to save money. Below are some of the ways you can cut spending or save money during the 30 day challenge.

Cut These Items From Your Spending

Obviously you want to cut as much spending as possible during your challenge. Here are some ways you can cut back spending for the challenge duration.

• Cut all eating out. Plan all of your meals to bring lunch to work and not eat out at all for any meals.
• Cut out all discretionary spending. If it’s not planned or in your grocery budget, write it down and wait a month.
• Reduce any entertainment spending. If it’s an event or concert already planned make it an exemption for the month but don’t add anything new.
• Cut your normal grocery budget in half from what it normally is. Get creative with items you already have an things on sale.
• Slash your food budget. If you are able to eat out of your pantry and freezer for a month, consider cutting out all food spending. You could make an exemption for a small amount each week for fresh produce.
• Cut something out in your own budget once you’ve looked through for things that could be eliminated.

Related: Things You Should Stop Buying to Save Money

Use Cash Back Apps

Let’s be honest: you are going to spend some money during the challenge period. It’s not a no spend challenge after all!

Take advantage of when you do spend money by using cash back apps when you spend.

These apps can save you money on purchases and provide cash back every time you spend money. You can also stack many of these and use at least two cash back apps every time you spend money.

Here are my favorite cash back apps:

Rakuten: Shop & Get Cash Back

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Rakuten – When you shop online Rakuten is the best cash back app available. You’ll get a percentage of your purchase back in cash everytime you shop. You can use Rakuten on most sites and they have a useful Chrome plugin.

Sign up using my referral link for an extra bonus.

Ibotta: Shop & Earn Cash Back

With Ibotta, you can get cash back every time you shop online or in stores. Their app makes it easy, fast, and safe to save up to 30%.

Use code vernepp to get a $10 sign up bonus on your first receipt.

Sign Up Now

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Ibotta – With Ibotta’s useful app you can earn cash back when you purchase certain items either in store or online. It’s easy to scan the offers and select which ones you are buying. If you already shop for these items it’s a no brainer to get a coupon that acts as cash back!

Sign up using my referral link for a bonus.

Fetch Rewards App

Fetch Rewards is the #1 cash back app to scan your receipts and earn free gift cards.

Use code MV7RR to get a free $2 bonus (2,000 points)!

Sign Up Now

Review & Tutorial

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Fetch Rewards – My favorite cash back app is Fetch Rewards. You can use this app to earn points that are redeemed for gift cards. Gift cards won’t add to your savings total but you can use them at grocery stores or Target or Amazon and then put that amount aside in your savings instead. All you have to do on Fetch Rewards is scan your receipts – any receipts you have!

Sign up using my referral link for a small bonus.

There are many others and you can sign up for most with a referral code and get a bit of free money in the beginning!

Work On Impulsive Spending Habits

Impulsive purchases ruin budgets and wreck savings goals. If you want to save $1,000 in 30 days then you can’t allow for impulsive purchases.

One way to curb impulsive spending habits is to work with tools like these impulse spending cards.

With this impulse spending challenge you write down all of the impulsive purchases you wanted to make but did not during the week. Then you total up that amount of what you would have spent. Move that number into savings.

This one can be hard to do if you have a problem with impulse spending.

But it can lead to savings success and even change your life. This is because it focuses on multiple areas:

• stopping impulse spending
• making conscious spending decisions
• saving money that would have been spent

This tackles multiple areas that can often be a problem when people can’t save money. Because it requires more internal work and effort this challenge can be a bit harder than just saving money.

Get the impulse spending cards in the Money Printables Library!

30 Day Saving Challenge Summary

Saving $1,000 in 30 days is a big challenge for many people. We all have many expenses every month without a lot of wiggle room.

Committing to a 30 day saving challenge to pile up $1,000 will be a lot of work.

But it is possible!

Pick a start date, prepare for the challenge, grab the printable below, and let’s get to saving money!

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The popular Fetch Rewards app allows people to turn receipts into free gift cards. Fortnite players have discovered they can use Fetch Rewards to turn their receipts into free Fortnite V-Bucks.

In this Fetch Rewards guide we will show Fortnite players how to use Fetch Rewards to earn free V-Bucks for the game.

What Is Fetch Rewards?

If you already play Fortnite and need V-bucks then you need no introduction to the popular video game from Epic Games.

But you might not know about Fetch Rewards. It’s a legitimate cash back app that gives users points they can then redeem for gift cards. It’s helped people save money and earn gift cards since 2013.

Fetch Rewards users gain points in a variety of ways with most coming from scanning grocery receipts. It’s the most low effort app of all the receipt scanning and savings apps since all you do is take a picture and upload it.

How to Get Free V-Bucks With Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards allows you to get “free” V-bucks by using the app, earning points, and then redeeming those points for free Playstation or X-box gift cards you can use on Fortnite.

The process is very easy:

1. Download Fetch Rewards
2. Upload receipts to earn points (see other methods to earn below)
3. Redeem points for whichever platform you play on:
   • Xbox gift card
   • PlayStation® Store gift card
   • Google Play gift card
   • or even a Visa® gift card
4. Use the giftcard you earned for V-bucks!

It’s really a simply process!

Once you’ve signed up for Fetch Rewards you have the opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars of gift cards to use on Fortnite.

We go in depth on each of these steps and answer the most common questions below.

How To Sign Up For Fetch Rewards

Here are the steps to sign up for Fetch Rewards so you can start earning gift cards.

1. In the App store search for Fetch Rewards
2. Download the app
3. Open the Fetch Rewards app on your phone
4. Click sign up with email button
5. Enter personal info for your account details
6. Click the orange sign up button
7. Enter your birthday & gender
8. Enter your phone number & state
9. Tap the “Start saving” button next
10. Click “Okay” or “Maybe later” to enable notifications
11. Click “Okay” or “Maybe later” to enable location notifications
12. Enter referral code MV7RR in the box
13. Click the “Enter code” button
14. To get your free points you will need to scan a receipt (points are rewarded after your first scan)
15. Skip through the intro slide to go to the home screen
16. Click the orange camera icon at the bottom right corner
17. Grab any grocery receipt you have within the last 14 days
18. Line up the receipt with the lines on screen
19. Click the orange camera icon in the center of the screen
20. Your receipt will upload while you wait
21. Your points will automatically be added to your account

And that’s how you sign up for a Fetch Rewards account and start off with enough points to redeem your first gift card to use on Fortnite!

Want more? Read: How To Use Fetch Rewards For Beginners

Fetch Rewards Referral Code

This referral code will get you between $2 – $4 worth of free gift cards when you use it upon signing up.

Fetch Rewards regularly changes the amount that new members can get but you’ll at least get $2 for using the code!

You will enter the code when you sign up as shown in the video above. You have to enter the code before scanning your first receipt to get the free points.

Need detailed instructions? Read this guide: Add A Referral Code On Fetch Rewards

How To Earn Points In Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is all about earning points that you can then use to get gift cards for free.

They made sharing your purchase information into a game that incentivizes you to take actions in order to get these points. It’s fun and there are also many different ways to earn points.

These points can then be redeemed for gift cards that you can use to make Fortnite purchases.

Ways To Earn Points

Here are the six ways you can earn points covered in the video:

1. Sign up using a referral code. You can get $2 for signing up with code MV7RR.
2. Scan receipts. The main goal of Fetch Rewards is to get you to scan your receipts. Take a pic and let it upload automatically!
3. Get special offers. Some companies choose to give you bonus points when you purchase a specific product. When you buy these products and then scan the receipt you get more points!
4. Add digital receipts. You can link your Amazon account and email account to earn points when Fetch Rewards scans your accounts for purchases.
5. Use Single Care for prescriptions. Single Care is a card inside Fetch Rewards you can use to save money on prescriptions and get more points in Fetch Rewards.
6. Refer your friends. You can get $2-$4 for every person you refer to use the app. When they sign up using your code and scan their first receipt you both get extra points!

Are Hacks A Bad Idea?

There are many videos and sites that encourage unethical ways to game the system and earn points in Fetch Rewards fast with hacks.

You might want to try using those hacks to get more Fortnite V-bucks but this is a quick way to get banned and not earn anything.

I recommend not trying these because they will get your account shut down and you will be unable to earn gift cards. You can still earn a lot of points by doing the things listed above!

The most common “hack” people use that is on the morally grey ground is scanning receipts that were not their purchase. You might ask your mom, sibling, partner or neighbor to scan their receipts if they don’t use Fetch Rewards. Technically the app can’t tell if these are not yours.

Do not scan receipts that are fake. Fetch Rewards can and will find out and shut down your account. They have increased their ability to detect these and it’s a bad idea to try and game the system.

Just use the app normally and you’ll be surprised how quickly it all adds up.

How to Redeem Points For Gift Cards

Redeeming gift cards on Fetch Rewards is a simple process. This video tutorial shows how to redeem your points for a gift card!

This video shows you how to use the points you have earned in Fetch Rewards to get free gift cards. If you want free V-bucks you will select either a Playstation Network of Xbox gift card for redemption.

This technically is not “FREE” V-bucks from Epic Games but you can redeem your Fetch Rewards points for PlayStation and Xbox gift cards and then spend it in Fortnite.

How to redeem a gift card instructions:

1. Open the Fetch Rewards app
2. Click the Rewards tab in the lower menu
3. Or you can click the points balance in the top menu
4. Scroll through reward options by category or you can search for the reward you want
5. Select the reward at the retailer you want (options available to you will have a gold circle based on points balance)
6. Click the amount circled under either Playstation or Xbox depending on the system you use to play Fortnite
7. Click the “Get my $$ reward” orange button
8. Fetch Rewards will send you a security code to your phone or email
9. Enter the code you received by tapping the box and entering the 4 digit code
10. Click the “Validate” button to finish
11. Congrats, Fetch Rewards has created your gift card!
12. Click the “Go to my rewards” orange button or click the Rewards tab in the bottom menu and go to the “My Rewards” tab
13. In the “My Rewards” tab you can view current gift cards
14. Click on the reward in the “Current Rewards” section to get the code to use for redemption
15. Tap on the code to copy
16. Close Fetch Rewards app to go redeem the gift card code on the appropriate site
17. Either add the code to your gift card balance in your account or apply it when checking out

Hopefully these steps make it easy to understand how to use Fetch Rewards to earn points and redeem gift cards that you can then use in Fortnite!

Fetch Rewards & Fortnite FAQ

Below are some of the questions I often get asked on videos about using the Fetch Rewards app referral code program.

Did Fortnite partner with Fetch Rewards?

Some people online have spread incorrect information about Fortnite partnering with Fetch Rewards. At this time that is not true.

Fortnite players simply use Fetch Rewards as a legitimate app to scan receipts and earn gift cards. They choose to redeem gift cards that they can use in Fortnite.

While Fetch Rewards is a legitimate app, always be careful about where you get your information.

Are there any hacks to earn points faster?

Unfortunately there are not glitches or ways to cheat the system that you should use.

Sometimes people will promote a “glitch” or “hack” to earn points fast on Fetch Rewards but these will often get your account banned and you will not be able to redeem gift cards.

What’s your referral code?

Fetch referral code MV7RR will get you 2,000 bonus points when you download the app and enter this referral code.

How much are points worth on Fetch Rewards?

Every 1,000 points on Fetch Rewards is equal to $1.

For each 1,000 points you earn by scanning receipts or referring friends to the app you will get $1 of gift cards.

When you earn 5,000 points on Fetch rewards you can redeem those points for a $5 gift card for Playstation or Xbox.

You can start redeeming gift cards for as little as 3,000 points for a $3 gift card.

How can you get paid from Fetch Rewards?

Fetch Rewards does not pay out in cash.

They only offer gift card rewards but there are many different ways to redeem gift cards on Fetch Rewards and dozens of different companies.

For Fortnight players the most useful gift cards will be:

• Xbox gift card
• PlayStation Store gift card
• Google Play gift card
• Visa gift card

Use referral code MV7RR when you sign up for Fetch Rewards for minimum $2 toward your balance to get FREE gift cards.

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I was reading Dave Ramsey‘s blog and came across the post about what the rich do daily. It lists 20 things rich people do daily that poor people don’t do.

The premise is that we can all improve our own net worth by learning and then implementing the 20 things rich people do.

For instance, the wealthy carefully manage their money and so can we with free tools available online.

Tom Corley, on his website RichHabits.net, outlines a few of the differences between the habits of the rich and the poor as follows.

I’m using this to examine my own habits and have what I do regarding each habit following the listed habit. You could do this for yourself and see how you stack up.

20 Things Rich People Do

So what do the rich do every day that the poor don’t do?

Maybe it’s time to change some habits? Use the list to evaluate your own habits and then implement the habits of wealthy people.

Rich People Lifestyles

1. 70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food calories per day. 97% of poor people eat more than 300 junk food calories per day. 23% of wealthy gamble. 52% of poor people gamble.

2. 80% of wealthy are focused on accomplishing some single goal. Only 12% of the poor do this.

3. 76% of wealthy exercise aerobically 4 days a week. 23% of poor do this.

4. 63% of wealthy listen to audio books during commute to work vs. 5% for poor people.

5. 81% of wealthy maintain a to-do list vs. 19% for poor.

Rich People Relationships

6. 63% of wealthy parents make their children read 2 or more non-fiction books a month vs. 3% for poor.

7. 70% of wealthy parents make their children volunteer 10 hours or more a month vs. 3% for poor.

8. 80% of wealthy make hbd calls vs. 11% of poor.

9. 74% of wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. 1% for poor.

Rich People Habits

10. 88% of wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs 2% for poor.

11. 6% of wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69% for poor.

12. 79% of wealthy network 5 hours or more each month vs. 16% for poor.

13. 67% of wealthy watch 1 hour or less of TV every day vs. 23% for poor.

14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% for poor.

15. 44% of wealthy wake up 3 hours before work starts vs .3% for poor.

16. 67% of wealthy write down their goals vs. 17% for poor.

Rich People Beliefs

17. 84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% for poor.

18. 76% of wealthy believe bad habits create detrimental luck vs. 9% for poor.

19. 86% of wealthy believe in life-long educational self-improvement vs. 5% for poor.

20. 86% of wealthy love to read vs. 26% for poor.

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Other Things Rich People Do

The things listed above are studied habits of rich people. But what else do they do that we can learn from?

Rich People Investments

Rich people are often rich because they either had a head start or they invested well.

Sometimes this investment can be in their own business and other times it’s in a career. That initial investment leads to more investments with the money created.

They invest their money with trusted companies and continually buy more assets.

Investing is a good way to earn on your money long term.

Read more: Investment Tips For Beginners

Money Management For Rich People

At a certain point rich people generally get advice and money management help from trusted advisors. They manage money well with services and trusted advisers.

Many rich people would rather spend their time making more money. Despite this they still want someone they trust looking out for them and their money.

Read more: Budgeting For Beginners

Rich People Make More Money

This headline is a bit tongue in cheek, but rich people obviously make more money than they spend.

They make sure they are spending less than they are making – this is how you gain wealth. You just can’t spend everything you earn!

If you want to be rich you have to be moving in the right direction and building net worth.

Read more: Net Worth Tracker Options

Am I Doing Rich People Things?  

The important thing to do with this information is to use it to improve your own life.

So below I’ve applied the “rich people habits” to myself to see how I stack up with the list. Am I spending my time on habits that build wealth?

Am I Living A Rich Lifestyle?

1. 70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food calories per day. 97% of poor people eat more than 300 junk food calories per day. 23% of wealthy gamble. 52% of poor people gamble. 

I have been diligent about cutting back on junk food and calories lately so I’m moving more toward a wealthy lifestyle habit in this case. Also, I don’t gamble.

2. 80% of wealthy are focused on accomplishing some single goal. Only 12% of the poor do this. 

I need to get better at this but I do normally have at least 1 thing I want to do every day even if it’s pretty simple.

3. 76% of wealthy exercise aerobically 4 days a week. 23% of poor do this. 

I do this! I am currently exercising almost every day and have a goal to get at least 30 minutes of cardio 4-5 times a week. So far, so good. I also plan on buying the Sole Fitness E95 Elliptical Machine for my house once I save up for it. My friend bought one and LOVES it.

4. 63% of wealthy listen to audio books during commute to work vs. 5% for poor people. 

I don’t have a commute so this one doesn’t really apply, but I have gotten audio books for long road trips. When I did have a commute it was short and I would listen to either the radio or a podcast or make a phone call.

5. 81% of wealthy maintain a to-do list vs. 19% for poor.

I’m the master of to-do lists. I love making lists and I adore to-do lists. It helps keep me focused and keep accomplishing things!

Am I Building Rich Relationships?

6. 63% of wealthy parents make their children read 2 or more non-fiction books a month vs. 3% for poor.

I have young children who “Read” books with us but can’t actually read yet. So this question does not apply yet!

7. 70% of wealthy parents make their children volunteer 10 hours or more a month vs. 3% for poor. 

I don’t have children that can volunteer yet but we’ve already started discussions about helping others.

8. 80% of wealthy make hbd calls vs. 11% of poor.  

I don’t make calls but I regularly text on special occasions! I like to make sure I’m keeping relationships alive because your network is important. It can often lead to networth and lifestyle increases.

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Do I Have Wealthy Habits?

9. 74% of wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. 1% for poor. 

I don’t have children that can understand these concepts yet but we are just now starting to talk about and learn about money.

10. 88% of wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs 2% for poor.

I don’t do this daily but I do read quite a bit for education and career reasons. A lot of this is through blogs and news sites but I also still read books as well.

11. 6% of wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69% for poor. 

I definitely lean toward not saying what’s on my mind in a lot of situations because I know it’s not appropriate.

12. 79% of wealthy network 5 hours or more each month vs. 16% for poor. 

Networking is one area where I work hard to make sure I’m succeeding. It can take a lot of effort to attend networking events and keep relationships active but it’s how I’ve been hired for the majority of jobs in my life.

I’m very introverted and shy so I tend to shy away from traditional networking opportunities. I make myself attend some but I also do a lot of networking online through sites like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Am I Doing Rich People Activities?

13. 67% of wealthy watch 1 hour or less of TV. every day vs. 23% for poor. 

Since I cut cable I’ve barely watched any TV at all and only through Netflix and Amazon TV.

In the past I’ve used TV watching time to double as side hustle time – catching up on admin tasks so I’m somewhat productive while also enjoying TV guilt free.

14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% for poor. 

Okay, you got me on this one. I love some reality TV.

Not stuff like the Kadashians or the Housewives, but things like Gold Rush Alaska and Swamp People and other shows that introduce me to lives I’ll never live.

Also I enjoy things like Top Chef and Project Runway where the focus is creation and talent.

15. 44% of wealthy wake up 3 hours before work starts vs .3% for poor. 

When I was employed I woke up 1-2 hours before work started. Now that I’m doing my own thing I have been horrible at having a standard wakeup call for myself.

16. 67% of wealthy write down their goals vs. 17% for poor.

I definitely do this. I keep written goals around my house in a Moleskine Classic Notebook and I keep written goals on this blog. Just the act of writing down goals helps you cement your direction and get closer to achieving what you want. 

I always make sure I’m tracking my financial goals by writing things down and tracking my goals. My favorite savings trackers make things like this very easy!

Do I Have A Wealthy Mindset?

17. 84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% for poor. 

I do believe this which is why I continue to try to establish the types of good habits that will lead to opportunity.

18. 76% of wealthy believe bad habits create detrimental luck vs. 9% for poor. 

Agree with this as well to a certain extent. I know it’s not true in all cases but bad habits do majorly affect the types of opportunities that come along.

19. 86% of wealthy believe in life-long educational self-improvement vs. 5% for poor. 

I fully agree with this and am surprised more poor people don’t agree with it as well. I believe we never stop learning and improving ourselves throughout life. Education doesn’t stop in school.

20. 86% of wealthy love to read vs. 26% for poor. 

I looooove to read! That will make me wealthy, right? Time to go read now!

Surprisingly I already do or agree with most of the things wealthy people do daily! This bodes well for my plan to achieve financial independence.

This means in the long term my good habits should pay off handsomely, right?

Do you share many habits of the rich? Or the poor?

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Impulse buying is fun until the bill arrives. For many of us, myself included, impulse buying gives our brains a much desired bump in feel good chemicals. But it derails financial goals which is why many of us have to learn how to stop impulse buying.

Impulse buying is a very, very normal habit.

Almost all of us do it. And many studies show Americans on average impulse buy $250-$350 worth of items every single month.

You don’t want to think about those numbers adding up.

What Is An Impulse Buy?

So what exactly does impulse buying even mean?

An impulse buy is every time you purchase something you weren’t planning to.

It’s every time you are shopping and see something that you then buy. It’s when you add to cart something that wasn’t even on your radar.

Impulse buys can vary in size. A small candy purchase at the grocery store checkout line is an impulse buy if it wasn’t planned. So is an $80,000 SUV that you weren’t planning to sign up for when you went to browse the dealership.

There are many different but common impulse purchases:

• candy / gum / drinks in a checkout line
• treat yourself buys that were not planned
• shoes or clothes you weren’t planning to buy
• takeout or coffee from a shop
• toys or snacks to keep kids busy at the store

Many of these are common purchases. The issue is that they are impulsive in-the-moment decisions instead of planned.

What Drives Impulse Buying?

Since discovering my own tendency to impulse buy items I’ve tried to learn more about what causes impulse purchases.

There are many different reasons people make purchases. There are also lots of different triggers for impulse spending.

Here are a few common reasons people impulse buy:

• emotions & emotional driven needs
• past experiences
• lack of self-control / executive function
• ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
• sales and marketing from stores
• love of shopping and making a purchase

These are reasons why some people impulse buy. These things can create the impulse and the desire to follow through on the purchase.

So how do we combat these things?

Is it even possible to cut back on impulse spending? Can we learn how to stop impulse buying?

How To Stop Impulse Buying

Unfortunately buying things feels good and stores are designed to get us to buy things. That means we have to create processes and habits to combat these factors. 

Here are a few ways to stop the impulse spending habit:

1. Create A Wants List

I have a list of all the things I really want to buy. If it’s not a need, it goes onto the wants list.

Nothing that is a “want” can be purchased immediately, but instead it must go onto a want list. This helps me prevent immediate impulse buys.

When I decide it is time to splurge because I’ve accomplished a financial goal, I consult the wants list and purchase something off the list!

It’s guilt free spending because it is something I’ve wanted and thought about instead of impulsively buying on a whim.

Often I’ve found myself removing things from the list after 30 days or so. This is especially true of things I’ve found while browsing Amazon. In the moment they seemed like a great idea but after reflection I usually decide I don’t actually like the item as much as I did when I first encountered it.

2. Budget & Track Your Spending

Budgeting your money and tracking spending helps reduce impulse spending.

Having a budget at the beginning of the month helps you know where your money needs to go. When your money is part of a plan then it’s less likely to be spent on impulse.

Monthly Budget Planner

This monthly budget printable is a grouping of everything you need to plan and track your monthly budget. These monthly budget worksheets are designed to help you keep your budget on track by writing it down each month and tracking where your money goes.

Buy Now

Tracking your spending and your financial goals can help keep you on track.

If you have never tracked your spending before, then this process can be eye opening. Tracking what you spend can illuminate how much money was spent impulsively. You’ll notice spending on items that weren’t necessary – or you don’t even remember buying!

If you need help starting a budget, check out these related posts:

• What Is The Purpose Of A Budget?
• Budgeting Tips For Beginners
• How To Create Your First Budget
• Budget Categories List

3. Create A 24 Hour Rule

Creating a time rule around spending can greatly prevent impulse spending.

If you see something you want in a store, tell yourself you can come back and buy it in 24 hours if you still really want it. Or if you are shopping online, put the item in your cart and come back the next day to finish checking out.

If you completely forget about the item, which often happens to me, then you really don’t need it!

The 24 hour rule even works for things on sale since sales often last more than 1 day. If you are worried a store will run out of the item you can always have them hold it for 24 hours which gives you the chance to really think about buying it.

If an item you want is still desperately desired after 24 hours, go ahead and buy it if it’s within budget!

4. Think About Why You Really Want It

Self-medicating with shopping is really easy.

Examining why you are spending money is much harder. Looking at the reasons you spend may mean you don’t make the purchase.

This is something I personally didn’t like doing in the past because the answer wasn’t something I wanted to deal with in the moment. It was easier to skip thinking and go straight to purchasing.

Shopping is an emotional process and often we use it to deal with other emotions.

When you understand why you want to buy something you can decide if it’s worth buying… or if you are using the purchase to pacify another need.

Forcing yourself to think about why you want to buy something forces you to see if you really want the item of if you are trying to meet a completely different emotional need. Instead of shopping, you might need to work on a completely different activity.

5. Recognize Your Buying Triggers

If you are an impulse shopper, do you know why you do it?

What happens around you or in your mind right before you make an impulse buy?

If you look at your behavior for the past month you can probably see some patterns and recognize your buying triggers.

• Do you impulsively shop when you are sad? Angry? Bored?
• Do ads on Facebook lead you to click and purchase on Amazon?
• Are sale flyers triggering you to go buy things you weren’t planning?
• Does taking the kids to the store cause impulse purchases?

Learning what triggers your impulse shopping can help you avoid those situations in the future.

For example you can use an ad blocker on social media sites or look for healthy ways to deal with emotions instead of shopping. Understanding what triggers your shopping is key to helping you stop it.

6. Stay Out Of Stores

The more often you are in a store the more chances there are to spend impulsively.

Stores are not a place to waste time or use as a hobby. It’s best to skip using shopping as a hobby and instead find ways to stay out of stores.

Personally I’ve stopped going to stores during my lunch break when I had a habit of spending impulsively. Without surrounding myself with the temptations of things I might want to buy, I am spending much less.

If you find yourself spending too much money and time in stores, seek out new places you can enjoy that don’t involve retail.

7. Get Off Store Email Lists

Similar to the concept of staying out of stores, get off the email lists too!

Joining a store email list for a discount seems like a good idea. But then you’re caught in their email marketing where they are constantly sending you things to buy.

If you have poor impulse control this is a disaster waiting to happen.

Unsubscribe from email lists that want to sell you something. Sign up long enough to get the discount and then unsubscribe. You can always rejoin again later.

Removing this type of marketing from your inbox removes another trigger for impulse buys.

8. Use Cash Instead Of Credit Cards

Recently I decided to get gazelle intense about paying off debt so I stopped using credit cards.

Credit cards can be great when used carefully and paid off meticulously, but they can make impulse spending much easier.

Paying with cash forces you to confront your impulse spending.

When you are feeling the urge to spend unnecessarily, counting out the cash makes you slow down and think about the purchase. You also have to know you have the money to pay for the item before checking out.

Buying has much more importance and you realize the impact instantly instead of at the end of the month when the credit card bill arrives.

When I use cash I have drastically reduce my own impulsive spending.

9. Shop With A Plan

Having a plan can help you cut down on impulse buys.

If you walk into a store without a plan or a list it’s easy to go overboard with impulsive purchases. Everything will feel like a need if you don’t have your needs clearly outlined.

Before you go shop you should create a detailed list of what you plan to purchase. Nothing should be added to this list.

Having and sticking to a shopping plan can help you cut down on impulse buys especially at the grocery store.

10. Check Your Emotions First

Emotional spending is a huge issue for impulse buyers. Our emotions drive our behavior and this can lead to unwanted spending.

If you are feeling emotional – mad, sad, angry, lonely, etc. – then you should not go shopping. Do not go to a store when you are flooded by feelings.

Make a commitment to yourself to always check your emotions first before you shop and make a purchase.

Many times we can make impulse buys when we are feeling emotional that we later regret. Don’t buy anything if you are feeling like you are out of control emotionally. Instead reach for another coping habit or reach out to a friend.

11. Try A No Spend Challenge

No spend challenges can be a fantastic way to reset financially. They can also help you work on impulse purchase problems.

A no spend challenge is where you spend a certain amount of time, usually 30 days, spending nothing outside of the bare necessities.

No Spend Challenge Printable Bundle

This No Spend Month Challenge printable bundle will help make a no spend challenge month easier and more fun.

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When you do a no spend challenge you are forced to look at your spending habits. You also have to examine the triggers and emotions that drive those habits.

After 30 days of a no spend challenge you are likely to be more in tune with why you were spending before. You’ll have a better chance of thinking through purchases first after a challenge.

12. Add Purchase Friction

Purchase friction means making it harder to actually make a purchase.

Stores have whole teams dedicated to removing friction so it’s easier for you to spend money. Amazon’s 1 click program is a great example of how easy they’ve made it to make impulse buys – you don’t even realize you are spending money!

Work on adding back purchase friction wherever you can. You want to make it harder to buy something so your brain is forced to think about the purchase you are making.

Do things like:

• removing stored credit cards on your phone and computer
• removing all payments on sites like Amazon
• only taking cash to stores and leaving cards at home

There are many ways to add friction to your purchases so you must think instead of being impulsive.

13. Remember Your Financial Goals

One way to stop impulse spending it to keep your financial goals in mind before you waste money in stores. Reminding yourself that small impulse purchases add up to a lot of money that can prevent you from achieving these goals.

Personally I like to keep my financial goals where I can see them, with a list of my financial goals for the year in my planner and on the wall at home where I can see them. The reminder is helpful to keep them fresh so I’m more likely to meet those goals instead of impulsively use the money for other frivolous items.

My Experience With Impulse Buying

One bad habit I’ve had for as long as I can remember is impulse shopping.

If I see something in the store on sale I will buy it, even if I don’t have an immediate use for it. I will sometimes think of something I want and add it to my Amazon cart and checkout in under 3 minutes.

The time from when I first think “I want that” to actually owning it is far, far to short. That has led to lots of overspending due to impulse buys.

These purchases are usually unrelated to what I actually need to buy and they often come with regret that sets in later when I see my credit card bill or check my bank account.

Stores make it incredibly easy to do this both in stores and online so I’ve been working on ways to combat this habit and keep more of my hard-earned money.

Unfortunately buying things feels good and stores are designed to get us to buy things. That means we have to create processes and habits to combat this. 

My most successful habits that have reduced impulse spending are removing myself from email lists and always making a list.

These two things have really helped me cut out the majority of where my impulsive spending was happening.

Stop Impulse Spending For Good

These are just a few of the ways you can stop impulse buying.

I’m still in the process of breaking my own impulsive spending habits but I know that these methods work. I’ve already curbed a ton of my impulsive spending and am happily sticking to my budget!

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Do you plan to use Ibotta and want to start your account with an Ibotta sign up bonus? You’re in the right place!

Use referral code vernepp when you sign up for Ibotta for $10-$30 for free!

How much is the Ibotta Sign Up Bonus?

The sign up bonus for Ibotta fluctuates between $10 and $30.

The sign up bonus at the time of this post was $20 when you use referral code vernepp. However, the most common sign up bonus is $10 when you use a referral code.

Since the sign up bonus is constantly changing it may be anywhere from $10 to $30 when you sign up with the referral code. The amount of the bonus is up to Ibotta and they regularly change promotions to draw in new users to the app.

Check the sign up bonus at the time you join to see how much you will earn from using a referral code like mine (vernepp)!

Ibotta Sign Up Bonus Referral Code

This referral code for Ibotta will get you between $10-$30 for free when you sign up.

The most common referral bonus is $10 which is double what Ibotta offers on their website: $5 if you sign up directly without a code.

Using a referral code when you sign up to Ibotta is the quickest way to earn more with the app. Since the Ibotta payout starts at $20.00 you will want to kick off your account with as much as possible.

How To Get The Ibotta Sign Up Bonus

Signing up for Ibotta is easy!

Here’s how to sign up:

1. Download Ibotta – you can download the free browser extension and mobile app 
2. Sign up – sign up for an account with your email and personal information
3. Enter a referral code – Make sure you enter referral code vernepp when you sign up for a bonus
4. Use the app – Start using the app and redeeming offers! You’ll get your referral bonus once you redeem one offer on the app.

It’s really that simple! As soon as you sign up and download the app you are able to start earning.

How Does Ibotta Work?

Ibotta is super easy to use and generates a good amount of cash back compared to some other cash back apps.

According to Ibotta, the average user earns $150 a year cash back on groceries, online purchases, and more!

So how does Ibotta work? It’s really easy!

Here are the steps to using Ibotta:

1. Download Ibotta – you can download the free browser extension and mobile app 
2. Sign up – sign up for an account with your email and personal information
3. Enter a referral code – Make sure you enter referral code vernepp when you sign up for a bonus
4. Link loyalty accounts – Link your accounts on sites like Target to Ibotta to automatically scan digital receipts and make things easy
5. Find offers – Search and browse offers on hundreds of products at your favorite retailers
6. Select an offer – Choose the offer for the items you plan to purchase anyway by clicking the plus sign to add an offer to your Ibotta account
7. Shop – Shop at your chosen store for the things you need either in person or online
8. Confirm your purchase – After selecting in the app you’ll take a photo of your receipt (or it works automatically with online purchases when you link accounts)
9. Get cash back – You get cash back as soon as your order is confirmed!
10. Redeem your earnings – After you earn $20 in cash back you can redeem it as a deposit in your bank account or as gift cards

It’s really one of the easiest apps to use to get cash back for shopping. If you shop mostly online like I do then it is a no brainer because there is hardly any work required beyond selecting offers.

Ibotta also offers more generic cash back options than other apps. This means you can earn cash back on things like submitting a receipt with any brand of an item.

If you want to get some money back but don’t want to do a lot of work then it is ideal for you.

Is Ibotta Legitimate?

Ibotta is a legitimate USA based company with an app that has millions of users and hundreds of thousands of reviews.

Most people question if Ibotta is legit because they don’t know how the company makes money.

So how does Ibotta make money? It gets paid by earning a small commission whenever an item is purchased throough the app. This is a form of affiliate marketing which many companies and influencers use to earn an income. Want to know more about how content creators use affiliate marketing? You can read Beginner’s Guide to Affiliate Marketing.

I’ve used Ibotta and recommended it to friends as well for a few years now. All of us have earned and cashed out hundreds of dollars from using Ibotta.

How much can you make with Ibotta?

Ibotta earnings depend on how active you are with the platform.

Ibotta has said before in interviews that the average Ibotta user earns between $10 to $20 per month.

More active users earn anywhere between $100 to $300 per month.

This is obviously a wide range but shows that you can earn hundreds to thousands per year just by logging purchases in Ibotta.

I’ve used Ibotta personally for a couple years and have earned hundreds of dollars. Since starting with Ibotta I’ve now earned over $750 with minimal work involved.

With inflation causing grocery prices to rise quickly it helps to get any amount of money returned for these purchases.

How do you get your money from Ibotta?

Ibotta pays out directly to either paypal or a bank account via direct deposit.

You can also select gift card payouts as well. But one of the reason why I love Ibotta is because they payout in cash instead of just gift cards. Some apps like Fetch Rewards only pay in gift cards. With Ibotta you get cash directly sent to you that you can use immediately.

It’s truly the best option since you can only use so many gift cards in life!

There is a $20.00 minimum to withdraw money from your Ibotta balance. If you only have $10 or $15 in your earnings you’ll need to redeem more offers to get your money.

Personally I withdraw my earnings directly to my bank account every time I hit $20 earned on Ibotta.

More Cash Back App Sign Up Bonuses

Want to earn more free stuff with other cash back apps? I’ve got a whole page of referral codes for the best financial apps!

This list includes some of my favorite cash back apps:

• Fetch Rewards
• Rakuten
• GetUpside

I only include the apps I use and love so it won’t have everything, but you can get hundreds of dollars free just by using these referral codes when you sign up for things! The list includes apps for investing, saving, coupons, and more.

Check out the list of referral codes for free money!

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Are you wishing for student loan forgiveness or are you looking for tips for paying off student loans? No matter how you plan to eliminate student loans your life will be better off once they are gone.

There are a few personal finance milestones worth celebrating. These milestones include paying off credit card debt, paying off student loans, getting a job, becoming debt free, etc.

All of these financial goals take work, time and sacrifice which makes them worth celebrating.

My Experience Paying Off Student Loans

Back in 2013, I paid off my student loans!

I was thrilled about paying off all the loans in my name. I worked hard to pay off all my loans and was elated over the experience even though it took two years of hard work and sacrifice.

Unfortunately years later I also ended up paying off parent plus loans I did not expect to pay. It took me just over two years to pay off $43,000+ in debt that time and I documented it on my YouTube channel.

I’ve learned a lot about paying off student loans over the years.

Paying off $22,000 in student loans and another $43,000 in parent plus loans has taught me a lot of knowledge about paying off debt.

Paying off student loans is not just about the debt or the interest rate on that debt. It is often more about achieving the feeling of being debt free and eliminating a burden.

It’s easy to wait around and hope your loans will be forgiven. But the hard work of paying them off yourself is worth it.

In my case both times I wanted to be free from the burden and the feeling of being trapped by debt.

Tips For Paying Off Student Loans

The following tips for paying off student loans are ways I paid off my own debt.

These tips helped me knock out my debt quickly on a relatively low salary both times I paid off debt. You can do the same by following these tips to pay off your student loans!

Create a debt payoff plan.

The first step of paying off your student loans is creating a debt payoff plan. You need to find out how much you owe and who you owe.

You should list out all of your debts, the payments, and then create a plan for how to pay off the debts.

Read more: How To Set Up A Debt Snowball

Check your repayment options. 

Federal loans give you several different loan repayment options.

You can potentially lower your monthly payment with these plans or you could get an extended repayment plan that will extend your loans another decade or two in order to take the pressure off you.

You can also use these repayment options to accelerate paying off your student loans.

Create a more aggressive debt repayment plan. 

Making a plan to get out of debt faster by being more extreme in your budget cuts is the next step.

Having a debt repayment plan is important but getting more aggressive will get you out of debt faster. You will want to go faster than you would just paying minimum payments toward your student loans.

Go “Dave Ramsey style” and attack your student loans like a person on a mission.

Live on less.

It’s smart to live on as little as possible when you first graduate college.

You can use this time to start paying your student loans with the extra money in your budget. Keeping your expenses low will allow you to make bigger payments toward your student loans. This will ultimately eliminate them faster.

Do everything you can to save money like living with roommates, enjoying cheap weekends and driving a beater car. There are lots of things to do instead of spending money!

Read more: Frugal Living Tips

Start small if you need to start small. 

Instead of putting off your loans for years and years while you wait for the big salary, make small payments from the time you start working.

Pay down debt from the very beginning of your earnings and plan to just increase it as you earn more. This is a much better strategy than delaying your payments.

Only have $10 to contribute? That’s ok! Follow me on my Transfer Tuesday series to see how small amounts add up over time.

Track your progress.

Tracking your debt payoff progress helps you achieve your goals faster.

I actually started this blog in order to track my debt payoff progress. You can track your progress with your own blog or YouTube channel or with a software program or with old fashioned pen and paper. You can use a program designed to track debt payoff to both plan and track your debt payoff progress.

Seeing your payments add up over time will help you know you are making progress and motivate you to continue.

Budget to afford your student loan payment. 

It’s easy to create a budget that leaves your student loan payment until the end… but don’t do that!

Make sure your personal budget leaves room for your student loan payments. This might require some sacrifices and changes in the way you live to allow for frugality in order to pay your student loans.

If you need help with budgeting, download any of my budgeting printables or check out the following budgeting posts that can help:

• Budgeting Tips For Beginners
• Budget Categories List
• How To Create Your First Budget

Financial Bundle: Budgeting, Savings, Debt Payoff

This financial planner bundle is a grouping of everything you need to plan your budget, grow your savings, and achieve your debt payoff. It is perfect for anyone who wants an all-in-one solution to get started and get organized!

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Set up automated payments.

Setting up automated payments is a great financial strategy for many people.

You might not miss the money as much if you have it set up to come out of your paycheck as quickly as possible. Some companies also offer benefits for this type of payment.

As a bonus, thanks to the automated nature, you’ll never forget or be late on your student loan payment.

Pay more than is due. 

It sounds simple, but to eliminate student loans you have to pay more than is due.

The fastest way to eliminate your student loan debt is to pay more than what you owe each month. Want to do it faster? Pay more!

In the beginning you might just set up automated payments for a little bit extra each month. Work to increase this each month until you’ve doubled or tripled the payment that is due.

Pay the highest interest rate first.

I paid off my student loans with the highest interest rate first. 

Those loans were costing me more since they also happened to be my biggest loans. It felt like it took a long time but in the end it saved me money. I knew that if I paid them off and was only left with loans at a 2% interest rate it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

If you have high interest rate debt you should tackle that first before other debt.

Send in big chunks when you can.

Got a bonus? Received money for your birthday? Paid for a side gig?

Use that extra money to make a one time payment toward your student loans.

Any time I had extra money in my bank account not destined for something else I would use it for paying off my loans. It all adds up!

Make more money.

Finding ways to make extra income will help you tremendously when you are paying off your student loans.

I used extra income from my blog and babysitting jobs to make extra payments toward my student loans. Whenever I could work extra on the weekends I took the chance so that I could throw the extra money toward repaying the student loans.

Need some ideas or motivation? Check out these money making ideas:

• Make Money With Canva (10 Ways)
• Make Money On YouTube Without Showing Your Face
• How to Make Money Selling Stickers On Etsy
• Things To Sell On Etsy For Extra Money

Avoid taking on more debt. 

One of the best tips for paying off student loans is to not take on any more debt. This will allow you to focus instead of going in the wrong direction.

If you are already living with student loans you should avoid taking on more debt. This is especially true if you have a lower income.

You should evaluate your needs and choose to save up to pay for anything rather than getting a loan. Adding a huge car loan or a mortgage immediately can make living with student loans harder. The more debt you have the more your income will feel like it is shrinking.

Manage all your money well. 

In order to successfully live with and pay off student loans you should manage your money well.

Managing all your money helps you successfully manage your student loan repayments as well since it will be just a smaller part of your overall financial health. If you need more help try using the free money management tools available online like Personal Capital.

Personal Capital | Net Worth Tracker

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I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Learn from others who have paid off student loans. 

Learning from others will give you a lot of great tips for paying off student loans.

Read blogs from people who have paid off their student loans. These people are the best possible source for ways to live with and destroy student loans.

Try reading the ebook Destroy Student Debt: A Combat Guide to Freedom, written by a fellow blogger who got rid of $90K in student loan debt from Harvard. Watch YouTubers who have paid off debt. Find ways to consume content that helps you pay off debt.

Stay motivated.

Paying off debt sucks. There is no way around it. It’s hard to stay motivated and continue to follow your plan when it feels like your money is disappearing with no benefit.

Stay motivated by reading great books about paying off debt or listening to podcasts or talking to friends and family about achieving your debt payoff goals.

Remember, never give up! Paying off your debt is rewarding and a great thing to do for yourself and your future.

It’s possible to live with student loans and still make progress on paying them off, but you must be aware and intentional about your plan. Once you create your debt payoff plan then you need to be diligent about working the plan and not falling off.

If you’re serious about paying off debt, these tips and tricks for paying off your student loan debt.

Between all of these tips and your own desire to live with student loans and eventually eliminate them, you’ll be successful in your endeavors. Good luck living with student loans!

Good luck with your own debt repayment! You can do this!

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Do you want to learn how to get free Bitcoin? If you’re a believer in Bitcoin then finding ways to earn more is likely always on your mind.

Below I list all of the ways I’ve found to get free Bitcoin to add to your portfolio.

This list includes things like sign up bonuses where you can earn Bitcoin for joining a new crypto platform.

Bitcoin Sign Up Bonuses

The following cryptocurrency sites offer free Bitcoin when you sign up and contribute to your account. Most offer $10-$25 in Bitcoin as a bonus when you contribute $100 to an account but always double check on their site to confirm what you need to do to earn free Bitcoin.

For these Bitcoin bonuses I also get a bonus so thank you for the support!!

Free Bitcoin on BlockFi

BlockFi – Use this referral link to get $10 in Bitcoin free on BlockFi when you sign up, fund your account, and maintain a $100 balance for 30 days. 

More: BlockFi Referral Code & Link details

Free Bitcoin On Cash App

Cash App – Use this referral code RSJQKLK on this link to get $5 free on Cash App when you send $5 after signing up.

More: Cash App Referral Code details + How To Use Cash App Tutorial & Review

Free Bitcoin on Coinbase 

Coinbase – Use this referral link to get $10 of free Bitcoin on Coinbase when you buy or sell $100 in any crypto. 

Coinbase is my personal favorite of all the cryptocurrency platforms. I use them all but have found Coinbase to be the easiest to use for beginners and the most mainstream friendly option.

More: Coinbase Referral Link details

Free Bitcoin On Celsius

Celsius – Use this referral code 103458c044 to get $50 of Bitcoin when you transfer $400 or more to Celsius to earn money. 

Celsius also offers free rewards on crypto held in their wallets. This is another way to earn Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies but there have been recent changes within the USA that mean some users are no longer able to earn interest. Make sure you are eligible for any of these interest based incentives.

More: Celsius Referral Code + Sign Up Bonus details

What is Bitcoin?

Not sure what this cryptocurrency even is? Let’s look at the Bitcoin (BTC) basics!

Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009 that uses peer-to-peer technology to facilitate instant payments between holders.

Bitcoin allows people to send payments without the need for an intermediary like a bank or government.

It is currently the largest and most well known cryptocurrency. It uses cryptography to keep it secure and there are no physical bitcoins. Bitcoin transactions are verified by computing power known as “mining”.

Bitcoin has had a volatile history of valuation and has already gone through multiple boom and bust cycles since it was created. Despite this and it’s lack of legality as a currency it is a very popular option that has inspired the creation of many other cryptocurrencies.

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If you want to achieve a financial goal then you’ve probably been told you need to budget. Why is budgeting the first step for financial goals? What is the purpose of a budget?

Does budgeting really help? Can it help you pay off debt, save money, or buy a house?

Yes!

After years of financial mistakes I learned how powerful budgeting could be and it helped me pay off $83,000 in debt, buy a house, and build a successful business too.

Financial Bundle: Budgeting, Savings, Debt Payoff

This financial planner bundle is a grouping of everything you need to plan your budget, grow your savings, and achieve your debt payoff. It is perfect for anyone who wants an all-in-one solution to get started and get organized!

Buy Now

In this post I’ll share everything you need to know about budgeting and why it is so important to your financial goals.

We will look at:

• the benefits of budgeting
• ways to budget your money
• how to make a budget as a beginners

Ready to learn about how budgeting can help change your life financially? Keep reading!

What Is The Purpose Of A Budget?

If you found this post then you probably want to know what is the purpose of a budget? What is the point of budgeting? What is the purpose of a budget?

The purpose of a budget is to plan and track your money so you can achieve your financial goals.

Budgeting is the process of improving your financial health. Budget help you control your spending and focus on your priorities.

Budgeting can also be called many other names:

• cash flow plan
• spending plan
• income allocation

No matter what you call it, giving your money a purpose via a budget is an important part of managing money well.

Budgeting helps you plan your finances so you can control what your money achieves. Without a budget you are less likely to reach big financial goals.

Budgeting might not be as glamorous as things like investing but it’s an important foundation for financial success.

Main Purposes on A Budget

Budgeting helps you plan and control your spending while achieving your financial goals. But what does this really mean?

Let’s look at the main purposes of having a budget:

1. Grow your savings
2. Control your spending
3. Cut back on money wasters
4. Achieve big financial goals
5. Get out of debt
6. Eliminate financial stress
7. Grow your net worth

Grow Your Savings With Budgeting

Budgeting gives you a financial roadmap to increase your savings.

Budgeting is often the key piece to achieving savings goals like saving up an emergency fund or down payment.

Creating a budget can help you save money more easily by identifying where your money is going and how you can make improvements to your spending. This allows you to redirect your money toward savings goals.

Creating a budget and sticking to it often reveals areas where you were spending more money than you thought. Through budgeting you can identify these areas and redirect your money to savings.

Personally when I first started budgeting I realized I spent a lot of money on areas of life I didn’t even care about.

Then when I started budgeting with my husband we discovered we spent hundreds more on eating out than we expected. With a budget we could still go out to eat but also save hundreds of dollars toward our savings goals.

Budgeting helps you identify areas of spending that add up quickly but don’t necessarily improve your life that much. This spending can then be turned into savings.

Budgeting also allows you to put your savings goals FIRST.

Instead of spending and then saving what is left you save money first and then spend the rest. This method of paying yourself first allows you to prioritize savings and make sure you save money.

Budgeting makes sure your savings grow by making it a priority.

Control Your Spending With A Budget

If you aren’t tracking and measuring your spending then you have little hope to control it. Budgeting helps control spending.

When you implement a budget into your life you then have to track your spending to make sure you are following and updating the budget. This helps most people control their spending.

Budgeting often gives people a shock at first because many of us have no idea how much we are spending in certain areas.

Despite limited income most of us spend money without thinking too much about it. I often see new budgeters SHOCKED by how much money they are spending every month on things like coffee, eating out, shopping, or other impulse purchases.

It’s too easy to spend money these days with apps and cashless spending.

The process of budgeting helps you identify all of these areas where you are wasting money without realizing it.

Budgeting keeps your spending in check. It allows you to spend in areas you care about but within comfortable constraints so you can also achieve other financial goals.

When you are budgeting your money you will be more in control of your spending.

Achieve Big Financial Goals With Budgeting

Budgeting helps you achieve big financial goals.

When you create a budget you are creating a plan for your money. Part of that plan will include your big financial goals that take time to achieve.

Writing down your goal and then breaking it down over many different budgets will allow you to work toward achieving something larger.

There are many different big financial goals you can achieve with budgeting:

• saving a down payment
• growing an investment portfolio
• saving a house downpayment
• paying cash for a car purchase
• buying a luxury item you want
• going on an expensive vacation

There are all sorts of different financial goals you can achieve with budgeting.

These types of financial goals are expensive and require planning via budgeting.

Get Out Of Debt With A Budget

One of the first times many people use a budget is when they are trying to get out of debt.

Personally I got serious about budgeting once I made a debt payoff plan. I knew that I needed to better control my money if I was going to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Eliminate Financial Stress With Budgeting

Another purpose of budgeting is to eliminate financial stress of any kind.

Budgeting gives you a plan to follow and that can eliminate many stresses.

When you budget you will no longer worry about missing bills. You don’t have to stress about not being able to hit financial goals.

Because a budget prioritizes things for you with money you are able to take care of important things first. If you don’t have enough money for everything you can rest assured that the most important things are already covered.

The longer you budget and the better you get at budgeting you will notice you have fewer and fewer financial strains in your life.

Even just creating a budget and having a plan can eliminate many worries from your mind.

Budgeting makes life less stressful.

Growth Your Net Worth With Budgeting

One of my favorite things about budgeting is that it allows us to grow our overall net worth.

I know that by increasing my net worth I’m securing a more stable financial future for my family. Budgeting my money means I’m always working toward net worth growth whether that is through paying down debt, investing my money, or buying assets that appreciate.

When you create your budget you can send a percentage of your money toward things that will grow your net worth. Maybe you invest 10% of your income into index funds every paycheck for example.

I like to track my net worth through apps like Personal Capital. The best thing about something like this free app is that it can double as your budgeting and net worth tracking platform. It does it all!

Personal Capital | Net Worth Tracker

Chart your path to financial freedom by tracking net worth, spending, & investments in one easy to use FREE dashboard.

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Ways To Budget

How To Set Up A Budget As A Beginner

Are you ready to start budgeting?

In this video I show you the basics of setting up a new budget along with a few budgeting tips. If you’ve never done a budget before I highly recommend you watch this video before you start.

Creating your first budget can be difficult as a beginner.

You can save yourself time by using budgeting worksheets or a financial planning app that guides you through the process.

Whichever method you choose to use, the basics of creating your first budget are the same.

You need to figure out how much money you are bringing in and how much money you are spending.

Basically you want to give the money you bring home an assignment so you can better optimize your budget to achieve all of your financial goals.

Here are the steps to creating your first budget:

• Gather everything you need for creating a budget
• Write out all your monthly bills
• Grab a calendar and layout your bills and paychecks on it
• Categorize a few months of previous spending
• Set some new reasonable goals for spending
• Plan out your sinking funds for big expenses
• Add all your expenses up and compare it to your income
• Track your spending through the month to compare

You can do this same process shown on the video with either pen and paper, a budgeting printable, a spreadsheet or a budgeting app.

The process is what matters most, not how you write down and track the actual numbers.

How To Set Up Sinking Funds

One concept that is often new to people when they start budgeting is sinking funds.

Sinking funds are saving accounts with a purpose and they make budgeting much, much easier.

Sinking funds are accounts you save into regularly for spending on expenses that are irregular expense, non-monthly expenses, unpredictable or big one time expenses. It’s a mini savings account for an expense you know you’ll have in the future.

Not sure which categories to include for your sinking funds? There are many different sinking fund categories you might consider saving for that are not regular expenses.

You set a little bit aside each month until you hit your goal… and then you spend it!

Sinking funds make saving for these hard to budget items strategic and stress free. This is one of the ways a budget can eliminate financial stress from your life. Planning ahead for big expenses makes them much easier to handle.

Sinking funds are designed to let you spend without stress or worry. It’s one of the best budgeting tips most people ever learn.

Need more? Check out these budgeting tips for beginners.

More Budgeting Questions

Not sold yet on whether a budget is right for you? Check out some of these common budgeting questions and answers.

What is the purpose of a budget in accounting?

The purpose of a budget in accounting is to create a financial plan for the future that anticipates all income and expenditures to align with business goals.

I come from a family of accountants (siblings and parents!) so I’ve heard a lot about budgets in accounting terms. While it’s similar in the fact that it is a plan for the future, there is a large difference in personal budgets versus a budget in accounting.

One purpose budgets in both accounting and personal finance share is the purpose of moving toward achieving defined financial goals.

What is the purpose of a budget for a family?

Budgeting works for all the purposes listed above whether you are budgeting for one person or a family. But budgeting has a few more benefits when you are doing it for a family.

Family budgets accomplish the following:

• makes sure every family member’s needs are taken care of financially
• lowers the risk of divorce over financial conflicts and stress (a leading cause of divorce)
• eliminates confusion and helps get everyone on the same page
• holds all family members accountable to the same standards and goals

Budgeting can be part of the glue that keeps a family together. It’s a way to make sure that all incoming money works for all family members.

What are the disadvantages of budgeting?

Budgeting can help you achieve success financially but it’s not without downsides.

There are many cons to budgeting including:

• time spent creating, tracking, and reconciling your budget
• less flexibility to do something spontaneous with your money
• fatigue over working toward big financial goals over long periods
• shame and guilt over not following the budget or blowing it entirely

There are many ways that budgeting can actually contribute negatively to someone’s life.

When this happens it is always a good idea to take a step back and maybe take a break from budgeting. If you’ve been on a very strict budget or doing a no spend month then you probably need to loosen up and spend a bit more. Taking breaks can motivate you to return again later with a better mindset.

What are the basic elements included in a budget?

Budgets can be as simple or as complicated as you need them to be.

The basic elements of budgets generally include:

• income sources
• fixed expenses
• variable expenses
• big financial goals

Those are the basics when you are creating a budget. Depending on your financial goals that will also include things like emergency fund savings, paying down debt, saving for real estate and more.

Budget Resources

Now that you know the purpose of a budget and all the benefits, you probably are ready to get started!

Below are some budgeting resources that can help you create and maintain a budget in your journey to financial success.

Monthly Budget Planner

This monthly budget printable is a grouping of everything you need to plan and track your monthly budget. These monthly budget worksheets are designed to help you keep your budget on track by writing it down each month and tracking where your money goes.

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Financial Bundle: Budgeting, Savings, Debt Payoff

This financial planner bundle is a grouping of everything you need to plan your budget, grow your savings, and achieve your debt payoff. It is perfect for anyone who wants an all-in-one solution to get started and get organized!

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Personal Capital | Net Worth Tracker

Chart your path to financial freedom by tracking net worth, spending, & investments in one easy to use FREE dashboard.

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