Find $730 in your own home!
Yesterday, on January 1, 2008, I found $730…! Seven-hundred-and-thirty dollars!
Best of all: it is mine to keep — legally.
After all, not only did I find it in my own home, but the money actually was mine all along.
You see, at the start of last year I determined that each day I would take $2 out of my spare change and put it in an old coffee can. I decided that I was going to do so no matter what — and that I was not going to use it for any reason. That’s right, no matter what happened, I would not even allow myself to borrow from my secret stash.
As a result, one year later I had 365 x $2 = $730.
To some, this may not sound like a lot, but that amount of money is nothing to sneeze at. $730 can go a long way. Such a cash windfall could buy you a nice new outfit, a weekend trip, or even a short vacation.
Regardless of what you’d use it for — it is, in essence, ‘found money.’
What I am going to do with my cash? Well, I’ve booked a weekend in Paris for two 
Want to find some money yourself? Don’t delay… start today!
- Get yourself an empty jar, a nice box, an old sock or whatever.
Place your money container within easy reach — but not in plain view. The idea is that it should not require a lot of effort to add your daily savings. On the other hand, you don’t want it sitting there tempting you to use it as your personal piggy bank.
- Decide how much to save each day.
Be realistic. It would be nice to save $5, $10 or $20 a day — and if you really can afford to do so, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. But it’s best to start of slowly. You probably won’t miss $1 or $2 a day out of your wallet.
- More is OK; Less is not OK
I never put less than the agreed-upon $2/day into my jar. But regularly, I add more. At the end of the day, I go through my loose change — set some aside for tomorrow, and toss the rest into the can.
- Don’t Borrow
Promise yourself that you will not borrow anything from your savings container. Your personal Find-Money-At-Home container is sacred. The moment you start borrowing from it, you break the spell. Even if you promise to pay it back tomorrow, it will be difficult to get back into your savings discipline.
- Keep Track
Once a month I count the money in my coffee jar (and old one that used to contain wonderfully flavorfull coffee from Trader Joe’s). I count it just to see how I’m doing. If any money is missing, I make up for then and there. Then I take a piece of paper and write the date and the amount on it.
The idea behind this is to see your stash grow — and to help you defeat the temptation to borrow from it.
Another trick: If you already know what you’d like to do with your $730 windfall at the end of the year, write that down as well.
Better yet, include a brochure for that new camera you have your eyes on. Clip pictures of that beautiful beach in Hawaii, the Eiffel tower, the newest Ipod, or those new curtains that would look so good in your living room.
- Enjoy your money!
When the time is there — it doesn’t matter if you pick the end of the year, as long as it is 365 days from the day you started your $2/day savings account — don’t be afraid to spend your money. This is not your main savings account. This is your “If I Ever Find $730 I’d Know What To Do With It” money.
If you don’t spend it all, do drop the rest back into your jar as an extra incentive for your next splurging moment.
