Life can be messy – we’ve all been there. As you age and mature, your rainy days can try and test you more than they did in your younger years. Now more than ever it’s important to save a little money for a gloomy, rainy, or an all-out hurricane of a day.
Ye olde piggy bank
Remember that cute little pig as a child that ate loose coins you found in couch cushions? There was a piece of you that had the right idea, even at the wise old age of seven. Adapt that for your adult self – have a separate account that doesn’t get touched. It’s your extra extra savings account. You can start with something as small as all change and $1 bills you have left over. There are lots of online tools that can round up your purchases you make on credit cards/debit cards and put that extra money into an account.
Be fearless, but smart
When the rain turns to hail and is banging at your windows, it’s scary. Don’t be afraid to touch your rainy-day money. That is what it’s there for. Set up ground rules ahead of time for what constitutes using those funds. You can even set limits for different scenarios. Brainstorm a variety of ways to utilize your funds – from little ways to perk yourself up, to the big all-encompassing blow out.
Turning impulse into gold
Or rather the resistance of impulse. Every time you turn away from something that you almost jumped at – put that money into your rainy-day bank. It’s almost like you spent that money on impulse, but now it’s going for a good use and you’ll be lucky you have down the line.
Hobby it up
Find a little side business and save all that money for a rainy day. It’s something as easy as a hobby you have fun doing in your spare time and turning that into an online shop or a service for friends. Or try selling old clothing and items you don’t use online for extra money. There are so many creative ways to turn seemingly ordinary things into money in your piggy bank. It’s an almost effortless way for extra money to jump into your pocket.
Saving for your own rainy days will help you out more than you know. It’s a little buffer for when the road gets tough and the storm has left you with some damage. Try some of these to grow your little extra cushion and have your supplies ready to brace any weather that comes your way.
