Organize your finances with free savings trackers. This set of savings worksheets will help you save for vacations, renovations, debt-reduction, and more!
We all know that we should save for big purchases, but how often do we put that into practice? Whether saving for a home renovation or a vacation — saving can be tricky to manage. Money just disappears each month, right?
Even though we love to travel and renovate our home, we don’t want to go into debt over it. Therefore, we make it a priority to save money and pay cash for travel or home projects.
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone.
Of course, part of saving money is making affordable, and budget-friendly choices. When we renovated our bathroom, it cost less than $2500. While that’s not pocket change, it’s fairly reasonable for a near floor-to-ceiling {minus the tub} bathroom renovation.
Over the last 6 months, we’ve been working to reduce our monthly bills, teach my son about saving, and working — as a family — toward big financial goals. This week, I’m sharing a few tools to save smart.
Start a 52-Week Savings Plan
A 52-Week Savings Plans is a simple and straightforward method to save for a big purchase. Are you familiar with this method? Simply tuck away a set-amount of cash each week for 52 weeks, and after a year you will have saved $1,378.
- Week 1: Place $1 in the Savings Jar
- Week 2: Place $2 in the Savings Jar
- …. and so on, until…
- Week 52: Place $52 in the Savings Jar
If you’ve got children, they’ll love participating in a 52-Week Savings Plan because it is easy to understand and visual. We laminated a copy of the 52-Week Savings Tracker {you can grab a free copy at the end of this post}, and my son loves crossing off the savings jars with a dry-erase marker each week.
Cut Monthly Bills with a Savings Worksheet
You may have an opportunity for savings within your current monthly bills. As I mentioned, we’ve {and I have to give my husband much more of the credit here} been trying to reduce our monthly spending over the last 6 months. From cable to insurance and cell phone bills, we’ve been adding up the savings… to approximately $150 per month!
Use a Monthly Savings Worksheet {also available at the end of this post} to list each monthly expenditure. Then, start working to reduce those payments, one at a time.
Save when you Spend with Savings Apps
If you are going to spend, you might as well save while you’re at it! A good friend of mine recommended Ebates to me last Thanksgiving. I actually hadn’t given it a try until this spring — but it’s incredibly easy.
Simply download the app to your phone and install a Chrome Plug-in for your browser. Then, anytime you shop online, the app and plug-in will let you know that “Ebates” is available and you can activate it. The amount will vary, but typically you’ll receive somewhere between 1-5% cash back after the purchase.
It’s like free money because I’m making the online purchase, either way, and Ebates just adds a cash back bonus! {note: there are other Savings Apps, too! I would guess that they have similar tools available}
Use a Savings Tracker as a Visual Goal
I have found that it was easiest to save money when I was single. It got a bit tougher when I got married — now 2 people had to agree on savings. Then, it got much more difficult when we added kids.
Why? Though we are all tempted by instant gratification, kids are especially focused on their immediate wants and desires. It’s hard for them to understand long-term goals.
Therefore, use a Visual Goal in the home when saving up for a big purchase. When the kids want to go out to eat or buy a new toy, point to that visual. Remind them {and yourself!} that this short-term inconvenience is in light of a better, bigger, long-term goal. Then, celebrate with the whole family when you make progress towards the goal!
Need a visual? Print and laminate the Jar Savings Tracker, which is available at the end of the post. Hang it in a prominent spot, where the whole family can see progress and be reminded of financial goals.
If you’d like to have a visual when you are out and about, there are also Savings Tracker Apps available for mobile devices.
Savings Tracker Printable Templates and Worksheets
So, what is your savings situation? Do you need to…
- Pay off debt?
- Save for a home renovation?
- Cut monthly expenses?
- Save for a vacation?
If any of these apply to you, which tool would be most helpful?
Would you like to download the free printable? Click the button, below, to sign up for our newsletter and gain access to the freebie library. Once subscribed, you will receive an email with instructions to access the library.
If you have any problems signing up, please send an email to loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com, and I will sign you up manually.
Once you enter your email, you’ll also get access to my full printable template library which includes other home organization tools such as a Menu Planner, Recipe Binder Kit, and Printable Labels.