With the cost of living crisis continuing, it’s no surprise that money saving techniques have become popular with people wanting to save money wherever they can.
There are plenty of ways that people can start to save money but do these techniques really work?
One way to save money is using a method called 'cash stuffing' which is popular on TikTok.
I gave cash stuffing a go and this is what I thought.
@budgetwithdee Let’s stop living paycheck to paycheck together! #budgetingtiktok #budgetinguk #cashstuffing #cashstuffingenvelopes #cashstuffinguk #lowincomebudget ♬ GOOD VIBES - Ellen Once Again
What is cash stuffing?
Cash stuffing is a saving technique which involves drawing cash out of the bank and putting it into envelopes.
The envelopes can be labelled with things you’d like to save money for, whether that be a specific item like a new mobile phone or a range of things that you like to do such as hobbies, shopping or eating out.
It can also be used for things you spend money on regularly such as grocery shopping.
@lisawoodley81 End of the month stuffing #cashstuffing #mumonabudget #foryoupage #february #uk #money ♬ Say So (Instrumental Version) [Originally Performed by Doja Cat] - Elliot Van Coup
At the time of writing, the technique is popular on TikTok with #cashstuffing accumulating 1.2 billion views while #cashenvelopestuffing has 16.8 million views on the platform.
What did I think of the cash stuffing technique?
In a month, I managed to save £150 by adding money into envelopes whenever we could.
It’s completely up to you whether you choose to set a target for the amount of money you’d like to save or if you simply give it a go and see what you can put away each week or month.
Our envelopes were labelled with things I like to do – shopping, travel and food and drinks.
I found that using the technique was a great way to save money because I'd forget that I had the money in the envelopes, meaning it was easier to resist spending it.
Also, it helps that the money is no longer present in your bank account because this leads you to think you no longer have the money when you’ve actually saved it and put it to one side.
The saving method gives you the opportunity to save as little or as much as you like and you can even save more money for one thing than another.
For example, I like to travel and with lots of costs contributing to a trip away, I tried to put a bit more money to one side for travelling since it usually costs more than a meal out or a shopping trip.
@homentribudgets How much have I saved in 2023 so far with JUST cash stuffing?!… 👀✨ #cashstuffing #cashstuffinguk #cashenvelopes #cash #cashstuffingcommunity #budgeting #budgetingcommunity #budgetingforbeginners #budgettok #savings #savingschallenge #savingschallenges #savingmoney #cashstuffingenvelopes #cashenvelopestuffing #cashenvelope ♬ Dancing In The Moonlight - 苏颜悦
I saved £150 and split it up between the three envelopes – this is what I saved for each:
- Shopping – £40
- Food and drinks – £50
- Travel – £60
The cash stuffing method is also versatile because you can aim to save part of your end goal to help contribute to something you’d like to buy the following month for example or you can wait until you have saved the full amount.
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Overall, I’d recommend the cash stuffing method for anyone who wants to save some money especially if they find it difficult to save when they can see the money in their bank account.
It’s rewarding at the end of the month when you know you’ve managed to save a chunk of money towards something you wanted to buy.
I'll definitely be trying to do the cash stuffing method in future months as it could help me save for big spending periods such as the rest of summer and Christmas.
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