You can never seem to reach your savings goals. It feels like such a slog to get started, and within a few weeks, you lose steam and stop trying.

So, how can you commit to saving money? Turn it into a game! You can use your love of gaming to your advantage and gamify your savings goals. Read ahead to find out what that means, why you should do it and how to get started.

What Is Gamification?

Gamification means using game-like features for non-game activities. One feature that you might recognize is a reward system through points, prizes and bonuses for completing certain tasks. Another feature is having players compete against each other to compare scores and try to reach the top spot.

These features are meant to spark your motivation, focus and enjoyment while participating in tasks that may not be traditionally fun — like managing your finances.

Why Should You Try to Reach Your Savings Goals?

You can’t give up on your savings goals yet. At the very least, you need to have a collection of emergency savings. Without these emergency savings on hand, you’re going to have limited options for managing urgent expenses outside of your budget.

What will you do when something goes wrong? You could try applying for a quick loan online to help you cover the urgent expense in a short amount of time. If you’re approved for the online loan, you could use the funds to resolve the issue and move forward. Then all you have to do is focus on repayments.

You don’t want to be in this rough situation if you can help it. So, try to gamify your savings goals — this could be the trick that makes you keep up the habit and reach your target.

How Can You Gamify Your Savings Goals?

Challenge Yourself:

Do you like games with a competitive edge? Do you like high stakes and playing on hard mode? Then, a money-saving challenge might be the best way that you can gamify your savings. Find a challenge that suits you best:

Show the Progress:

Games use visuals to show your progress. A map can show where you’ve traveled and what areas you’ve yet to explore. Progress bars can show you how close you are to reaching the next level.

You can replicate this feeling in real life! Use a fundraising thermometer chart to represent your savings goal and fill it in every time you level up to a new percentage. Or record the number that you have in your savings account every week on your calendar — this way, you can see the upward momentum you’re achieving over time.

Reward Yourself:

Maybe you prefer your gaming experience to be more rewarding than challenging. There’s a trick for that too! Set up small rewards for every time you reach a milestone in your savings goal. Make a habit of rewarding yourself without any guilt so that you can keep up your motivation and have a positive outlook on your goals.

Use Apps:

If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of personal finance apps with built-in gamified features that can help you. All you have to do is download them and give them a try.

What apps could you try?

  • Zogo Finance
  • Yotta
  • Digit
  • Save to Win
  • Acorns
  • Givling
  • Long Game
  • Qapital

Gamify your savings goals and how easy it is to reach them. It’s time for you to level up your finances.

Categorized in:

Nerds at Home

Tagged in: