Have you tried playing a saving game to help you spend less and save more? Saving money can be a challenge for everyone. But making a game out of it can make the process less tedious and more fun!
Table of contents
- What are savings games?
- Expert tip
- Why money saving games are a great idea
- How to win with money saving games
- More saving money articles
According to Zippia.com, statistics show that most Americans have only $4,500 in savings, and 42% don't have even $1,000 in savings!
While challenging, saving money for an emergency fund or retirement can be one of the first steps in becoming financially stable.
If your account is one large purchase away from being empty, we have some money-saving games to help you save money without following a rigid system.
What are savings games?
Savings games have the objective of saving money. They allow you to be creative and resourceful and have fun while saving.
Similar to a savings challenge, a saving game can be more playful.
Additionally, you can invite family members and friends to play with you for added fun.
15 Saving games to play
If you enjoy playing games and are a little competitive, here are 15 money-saving games you can play. Choose to play by yourself or with someone you know.
1. Turn grocery shopping into a saving game
If you've ever been guilty of walking into the store to buy a few items and walking out with a cart full of unintended purchases from a shopping habit, a money-saving game will be fun yet challenging.
Grocery shopping high score
With this game, you start by making a list of store items you need. Every item on the list is worth one point. When you purchase something on your list, you gain a point. Every time you purchase something not on your list, you lose a point.
Your goal is to score high by buying only the items on your list. You can even start a chart at home listing your high scores for each grocery store visit.
Race against the clock
Another fun game to play while food shopping is giving yourself a time limit to buy everything you need. With a time restraint, you are less likely to wander down a random aisle and pick up things you don't need.
Aim to get all the items on your list and be in line at the check-out counter before time is up.
While playing either of these games, see how many products you can switch out for their generic brand. (And also shop with the cheapest grocery list!)
2. Create your gifts instead of buying them
A creative game is to make gifts instead of buying them. Whether it's a birthday party or a co-worker's retirement party, many gift-giving celebrations can lead to spending money.
An alternative is to choose certain celebrations to give a handmade gift. Events such as anniversaries or Mother's and Father's Day provide great potential for making unique gifts.
If you're not feeling crafty but like the idea of spending less on gifts, try setting price limits on your presents. A fun money game can be searching for a thoughtful gift for less than $10.
3. Have a saving competition with friends
A friendly competition can motivate you to save and help you reach your goals.
However, a saving competition is a money game that usually works best if you have similar incomes and expenses as your friends.
To play, set a date and see who can save the most money by that date. The winner can get treated to dinner or have bragging rights.
An added benefit of this game is that it helps you and your friends to spend less money.
Instead of going out to eat, you and your friends can think of fun and inexpensive things to do on Friday night.
4. 12 months of mystery savings
If you want to stop overspending, the game 12 months of mystery savings is for you.
Start by listing 12 things you can save money on.
For example, eating out, clothes, groceries, etc. Write them out individually on pieces of paper.
Put the papers in a hat or a jar and draw one piece of paper at the beginning of the month. Whatever item you draw is what you'll focus saving money on for that month. If you pull out going out to eat, you can try only eating out once a month.
If you need ideas for your list of 12 things, US News.com lists unnecessary expenses such as data storage, streaming services, cable, and unnecessary memberships.
5. The electricity bill game
Have you been guilty of leaving a light on in a room you walked out of? Perhaps your phone charger is still plugged into the wall.
Electricity expenses can increase if you aren't conscious of your consumption. To avoid unnecessarily high costs and learn how to lower your electric bill, play the electricity bill game. Challenge yourself or your household to lower the electricity bill by five percent.
With this goal in mind, it'll be easier to remember to turn off lights or not leave the refrigerator door open.
Once you've met your goal of five percent, challenge yourself a little further and try to decrease your bill by ten percent the following month.
You can even try to decrease your bill by 20 and 30 percent.
6. Start a savings jar
Do you remember having a piggy bank when you were little? Can you recall your excitement when you smashed open your piggy bank? Almost everyone can relate to the rush of seeing how much money was inside.
The savings jar game is similar to a piggy bank. The difference is it allows you to see the money as you collect it.
To play this game, start saving money in a jar. You can choose a normal mason jar or have some fun and find a uniquely shaped jar. Try out a tequila bottle or a large water jug for more of a challenge.
If you play this game with family members or friends, start with identical jars and see who can fill theirs up the fastest.
How to fill up your jar
Depending on your goal, you can challenge yourself to fill the jar by a certain time. For instance, you can give yourself six months to stuff the jar with money.
Additionally, you can determine if you want to use your jar to collect loose change and dollars. Or you can commit to putting in a certain amount, such as $10 every week.
Using a transparent jar keeps you motivated because you can continuously see the money you're saving. Once the jar is full of cash, you get to break it open and find out how much money you saved.
7. Weekly savings game
With the weekly savings game, you can add to your funds each week.
Start by assigning a number for each week of the year. For example, for the first week of January, you'll assign the number 1. For the second week, the number 2, and you add a number for every week in the year.
Note that you can also play this game at any time. Simply start with number 1 for the week you are starting on. For the following week, assign the number 2, and so on, until you get to about fifty-two weeks.
Your objective is to save the amount of money corresponding to the week. For the first week, it's one dollar.
As the weeks' progress, you add money. When you arrive on week four, you save $4; in week 10, it's $10.
Can you play this money game all year long? Test yourself to play the game for a certain amount of weeks.
8. 52 card game
52 card game is a fun money-saving game because it brings an element of mystery to storing away your money.
You'll need a card deck to play. With the deck, you'll assign a number value for the face suites.
For instance, jacks can be $15, queens $20, kings $30, and aces $40. Choose amounts that are feasible for your budget (and don't forget to use the best budget templates).
You'll randomly draw a card from the deck at the beginning of the week. Depending on which card you draw, that's how much money you'll focus on saving.
9. No-spend game
Have you tried a no-spend challenge, where you only spend money on essential items for 30 days or more? To turn this concept into a game instead, see how many days you can go without spending any money.
For instance, start the game by going three days without spending money on unnecessary things such as alcohol, eating out, etc. Once you've successfully gotten through the first three days, add on two more days.
Every time you go a certain amount of days without spending, you tack on additional days. Your no-spend days are like winning a high score. Try to beat your previous score or go for more days without spending money.
You can play this game with family members and see who can go the most days without spending money. The first person to spend money has to do chores or make the winners a cake.
10. Bank your savings
Looking back at your shopping experiences, you'll notice you've saved a lot of money.
For instance, a $6 savings at the grocery store or using a discount code at the movie theater. Saving money on small purchases can add up.
To make this more impactful, turn these easily looked-over moments into a saving game. Every time you save through a discount or sale, put that money into your savings account or money jar.
Challenge yourself to make more discounted purchases so that way you can put more money into your savings.
For instance, you can set a goal to find as many discounted purchases as you can.
So when you go to the grocery store, check for coupons. When you go clothing shopping, check the sales rack.
Set a goal to find five discounted purchases for the month. When you hit that goal, challenge yourself to find even more savings.
11. Use a money-saving app
Sometimes saving money is easier when you don't have to think much about it. Using a money-saving app, you can easily save money with your phone.
Many apps will calculate your income and expenses to see how much you can save and automatically put those savings away each month.
Save money with the Qapital app
With the app Qapital, you can set fun and interactive rules around your money to maximize your savings.
For instance, with the Apple Health feature, you can automatically put $1 or $2 toward your savings every time you work out.
You can even set a goal to save a certain amount of money every week for the year.
Get saving reminders with the Piggy Goals app
The Piggy Goals app allows you to set money-saving goals and get notifications and reminders to help you stay on track. The app also offers visuals and graphs to keep track of your money and how it's being saved.
The app allows you to set weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly goals. When these goals are set, the app will tell you how much you need to set aside to reach your goal.
Through the app, saving money feels like a game with notifications that track your progress and help you reach your goal by a certain date.
12. Weekly $20 savings game
The $20 savings game is a fun, no-brainer game that can be played with family members and friends.
Each week your goal is to save $20. See how many weeks you can save this amount in a row. If you achieve saving for six weeks, try to beat your record and save for eight weeks.
See who can save the longest if you play with friends or family.
13. Play Monopoly
Monopoly is a game all about money.
Although the game is played with pretend money and hypothetical scenarios, it's a great way to practice managing and investing your actual money.
Pay close attention to how you use and spend your money the next time you play. Notice patterns such as overspending or making poor decisions.
By playing Monopoly, you can reflect on your own money use. Along with playing this game, it can help foster healthy conversations around money with your family.
14. No eating out game
This is a fun and simple saving game if you need to learn how to stop eating out. It involves seeing who amongst your family and friends can go the longest without eating out.
When someone gives in to temptation and eats out, they lose the game and have to cook for the other players.
15. Save your age game
The save your age game is exactly what it sounds like. Choose a month to play, and every family member has to save an amount of money equal to their age.
So if you are 36, your goal is to save $36 for the month. Likewise, if someone is 12, their goal is to save $12 a month.
With this game, you can start building saving habits with younger children.
To get the most out of this game, create a goal to save your age for six months or even a year.
Expert tip
Money-saving games can help you reach your savings goals, and there are many to choose from to suit your lifestyle. In addition to saving the amount you want, you'll also make saving rather than spending into a habit. Rewarding yourself and making sure you pick the perfect game is key to success!
Why money-saving games are a great idea
There are many money-saving techniques to choose from.
For example, you could set aside 10 percent of your monthly paycheck using the 10% rule.
While traditional methods are effective, staying consistent and motivated can also be difficult. Therefore playing a game to save money can be easier to commit to while also having other benefits.
Helps you prioritize money
Playing a game for saving can help you prioritize money in a fun way. They give you a clear objective and a way to get there; thus, saving money becomes your focus.
Save up for a large purchase
Are you dreaming of taking a week-long trip and need a vacation budget? Perhaps you want to buy a new computer or fancy air fryer? Whatever your dream purchase may be, a game for saving can help you actively put money toward that purchase.
Turn saving money into a habit
Are you struggling to meet your savings goal? Perhaps you've told yourself you'll start saving after your next paycheck, but that hasn't happened.
Saving money can be difficult, mostly because it's not a habit. When saving money becomes something you routinely do, you'll start seeing your money grow.
To overcome the struggle of saving vs. spending, try a game to help you save. Since most games are played every month or every week, you'll be storing money away regularly.
Makes saving money more fun
Money-saving games add an element of playfulness to money management. Psychologist Federica Pallavicini shared in an article on BBC.com that adults playing games helps them be more motivated and creative.
When saving money goes from a boring adult task to a fun game, you'll want to save more and more.
How to win with money-saving games
An important aspect of a game is winning. Because when you win, you save more money.
Here are two simple ways to ensure you succeed in the games you play.
Choose the right game for you
Many of these money games are fun and exciting to play. But before starting, it's important that you choose the game that is appropriate for your lifestyle and your income level.
Thus, choosing a game where the odds are in your favor is important.
Reward yourself
Winning a game for saving money feels like a reward.
However, you can also reward yourself with a little something extra without spending too much money.
For instance, if you reach your money-saving goal for the month, take some time to binge your favorite tv series. You can also reward yourself by taking a long walk or throwing an at-home dance party.
How do I save money quickly?
A game can help you to store up cash a lot faster than saving randomly. Try a couple of games at a time for even more savings!
What is a good game for couples who want to save money?
The grocery shopping game and the 52 card game are both easy ways to save, and they're even more fun if you play them as a couple.
What is the easiest game to use to save money?
If you want to save without thinking about it much, play a game using a money-saving app! It's easily accessible, and you can save with almost no effort.
More saving money articles
If you liked reading about money saving games, check out these articles:
- 18 Money-Saving Challenges To Save More Money!
- How To Do A 6-Month Savings Challenge!
- 21 Realistic Ways For How To Save Money Fast!
- 30 Creative Ways To Save Money Right Now!
Saving money can be fun with a saving game!
Savings games and money-saving challenges can make storing away money easier and more fun. You don't need much to get started with these games, and you can choose a game that makes sense for your lifestyle. And remember, it is possible to learn how to save money fast.