Five ways to make budgeting fun

Budgeting and fun don’t seem like two words that can go together, but with the right goals, rewards, and a little bit of willpower, you can make budgeting fun. Here are our five easy tricks to add some fun into budgeting:

1. Find your motivation - why are you budgeting? Are you trying to get out of debt? Pay off loans, or save up for a house? Knowing exactly why you’re budgeting will go a long way in helping you stick to it. Use visualisation when possible, like putting a picture of your dream house on the fridge so you can see what you’re working towards.

2. Put pen to paper - forget those budgeting apps and Excel spreadsheets for a moment and simply write down your budgeting goals with old fashioned pen and paper. Studies have shown that writing things down helps us remember them better, and we're therefore more likely to stick to what we’ve committed to paper. It will also give you a bigger sense of achievement when you accomplish the goals you’ve written down. Be sure to write down a few simple steps on how each goal will be accomplished, such as eating out less and cooking at home to save some extra cash. One great tip is to have some fun with it – use nice stationery, fun pens, and generally make it something nice to look at. That way when you put it up on your fridge or office, you’re more likely to pay attention to it.  

3. Reward yourself - budgeting is difficult and takes a lot of personal strength and willpower to stick to your goals. By adding small rewards for yourself when you’re on the right track, you’ll feel more inclined to keep going and not give up, as well as feel a bigger sense of achievement when you meet your goals. Make sure that the reward isn’t excessive; one great example would be if you brought your lunch to work for a month - treat yourself by buying lunch as a reward.

4. Find a friend - budgeting by yourself can be difficult, especially when it just seems easier to spend. By budgeting with a friend, you’re in it together and can hold each other accountable. You can also add some friendly competition to it; who saved more on groceries this month? The winner gets a small reward, like a coffee, as well as bragging rights. By adding competition to budgeting, it will make meeting your goals even more fun.

5. Think big - think about something you really want, like a new car, a vacation to Europe or the latest smartphone, and add it to your budget. Do some research into how much it will cost, and put it on the list. Making a long-term goal that will be achievable after saving money for a while is a much more fun way to look at budgeting. At the end of the day, budgeting is simply deciding where your money is going to go, so make a big goal and work towards it!