21 Ways to Find Motivation to Save When It's Tempting to Spend It

The world is full of things to buy, that are constantly being flashed (or paraded) in front of our faces. But saving money is important – and can lead to awesome things like getting out of debt, saving for a dream trip, quitting our soul-sucking job to start a small business from home, and more. This post will help you find motivation to save money even when you’re tempted to spend it.


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Saving Money Motivation: Do You Need Some?

Setting goals to save money is the easy part. Sticking to them is a different story.


It can be tough to stay motivated to save money, especially when the going gets tough. You are bombarded by ads to switch up your wardrobe each season. You want to redecorate your bathroom. Your kids are asking for the latest PS-Box-Switch game system.


How do you hold strong and not give into the constant temptation to spend money?


In this post, you’ll find 21 ways to find motivation to save money and stick to your money goals.


Related post: Good Debt vs Bad Debt – What’s the Difference and Why it Matters.


Remember that you are a work in progress. You might have setbacks – that’s okay. The important thing is to keep trying until your goal becomes a reality!


We know this can be challenging for some people, so here are 21 ways to find saving money motivation:


Related post: How to Control Spending Habits and Finally Get Control of Your Money.


21 Ways to Find Motivation to Save Money and Stick to Your Goals


1. Make a List of Your Money Saving Goals

Make a list of all the things you want to accomplish and keep it where you can see it every day. This will remind you why you started in the first place.


Your goal is probably not simply to save money – often we have a use in mind. Write that down.


It could be:


Related post: Top 10 Brilliant Money Saving Tips You’ll Want to Know about ASAP.


2. Set Money Saving Goals that are Realistic and Achievable

Make sure your financial goal isn’t too difficult or impossible to reach, but also make sure it’s not so easy that you won’t try hard enough!

Paying off all your debt this year might not be achievable (yet!), so pick a money saving goal that feels like a challenge, but one that you can meet.


You need both motivation and effort if you want anything at all in life.


Related reading:


3. Focus on the Present to Keep Up Your Motivation to Save Money

Don’t worry about what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future.


We have all made financial mistakes. Now is the time to learn from them, let them go, and move forward.


Just take things one step at a time and you will reach your goal. The present is what matters the most so don’t get ahead of yourself.


Related post: 5 Best Budgeting Tools You Need if You’re Bad with Money


4. Create a Positive Environment to Boost Your Money Motivation

Surround yourself with people who support your goals and dreams. This will help keep you motivated and remind you why you want to improve your financial situation in the first place.


Now might be time to evaluate how much time you spend with friends that continually blow through their paychecks by overspending.


You need people around who are going through similar things, so they know how difficult it can be at times.


Related post: Struggling Financially? 15 Tips From People Who Are Never Broke


5. Set Money Saving Milestones for Yourself

You should set milestones for yourself along the way to your goal.

If you are saving money for a dream trip, set smaller monthly goals instead of just the big end goal.


This will help break down large tasks into smaller ones, making them seem less daunting. And who doesn’t love checking things off a list?

You can try this 30-day savings challenge here, which will guide you to save $465 by the end of the 30 days.


For motivation to save money to stock an emergency fund, you can use this emergency fund tracker.


And this debt payoff thermometer is highly motivating to watch your debt shrink.


Milestones are also great for motivation because you can see your progress and how far you have come.


Related post: 5 Important Money Habits You need to Have Good Finances


6. Visualize Your Success to Stay Motivated to Save Money

Picture yourself on that fancy trip. Flying first class. With your beautiful newly renovated kitchen. With a nicely padded savings account.


Visualize yourself achieving your goal. This is a great technique that can be used for any goal. It’s basically like daydreaming about our future and how we’ll feel once we’ve reached our goal.


By doing this, we’re planting the seeds for success and growth. Plus, it’s always fun imagining how happy we’re going to feel when that day finally comes.


Picture yourself having already achieved your goal. What does that look and feel like? This can be a great source of motivation to save money because it gives you something tangible to work towards.


These money mindset affirmations will help you change your money mindset and here are some simple tips on how to attract wealth using vision boards.


7. Reward Yourself for Saving Money

Say what?

Yes!

This is a step that lots of people skip, and a step I don’t see other personal finance experts talking about.


But it is very important and will keep up your motivation to save money.


Reward yourself when things are going well. For example, if you’ve stuck with your goal for a week, then reward yourself with whatever makes you happy (within reason).


Don’t make this too big, though, as it may take away from your progress.


I recommend letting yourself have 10% of your saved money to spend on whatever you want. The other 90% stays in savings.


This will also help with motivation to save money because it gives you something positive to look forward to.


Related: Get cash back on your purchases (and a $30 bonus too!) from this site.


8. Find Inspiration in Others with Motivation to Save Money

We all know someone who has achieved their financial goals and is now living out their dream life. Why not use them as motivation to save money for your dream life?


If they can do it, then so can you! It may take some time, but it sure beats never trying at all!


Here are 100 inspirational money quotes that will also help you stay motivated with your money saving goals.


Related post: How to Save Money Every Day So You Can Fatten Up Your Bank Account.


9. How to Have Self-Discipline with Money: Consider the Consequences

Remind yourself of the consequences if you don’t reach your goal.

This may not sound like fun, but it’s essential to think about what will happen if things don’t go well.


It could be something as simple as feeling stressed about your debt, or having to miss out on fun nights out with your friends because you can’t afford it. Whatever it is, make sure you are serious about reaching your goal.


Related post: 6 Easy Ways to Save Money Every Month Without Feeling Deprived.


10. Set a Time Limit for your Money Saving Goal

Set a time limit for yourself. This will help with motivation because it gives you a sense of urgency and forces you to take action.


If you don’t reach your goal by the end of the set time, then you either didn’t try hard enough or didn’t set a realistic goal in the first place.

Related post: How to Save Money on Groceries (Even During the Pandemic).


11. Track Your Progress

Find ways to track your progress. This will let you see how far you’ve come and what still needs to be done.


It’s also great for our motivation to save money. It reminds us that we can do this if we keep working towards our goals every day (even when we don’t feel like it).


If you like tracking your financial progress on paper, check out this adorable minimalist budget binder.


If you prefer tracking money progress and saving goals digitally, this is the best financial app to do so.


12. Get Support from Friends and Family Members

This will help with motivation because they won’t let you give up. They’ll be there to cheer us on, give advice when needed, or listen if needed. It’s always good to know that someone has your back.


And if you didn’t come from a family that taught you good financial lessons, read this.


13. Make Sure Goals Are Achievable and Realistic

Make sure your goal is achievable and realistic. You don’t want to set your money saving goal to be too difficult or impossible to reach. Also make sure it’s not so easy that you won’t try hard enough.


Related post: How to Better Yourself: 100 Simple and Practical Ways to Improve Your Finances, Physical Health, Mental Health, and Relationships.


14. If Your Motivation to Save Money is Waning…Take a Break

Don’t forget to take a break, if needed. This is something we need to remember! If we’re feeling burnt out, it’s probably not the best time to work on our goal.


This doesn’t mean blow through all the money you so diligently saved up until this point.


It can mean you put your savings on autopilot, or you take a break from looking at your financial statements and daily progress.


We need to take some time for ourselves and relax so that when we come back, we’ll be refreshed and motivated.


Related post: How to Stop Procrastinating: 7 Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs.


15. Don’t Fall Into the Comparison Trap

Some people will have more money saved than you, and some will have less.


Comparing the amount of money you have can lower your motivation to save money. As tempting as it is, try not to compare yourself to others.


We all have our unique path in life, and it’s important to remember that everyone is going at their own pace. I know it can be challenging when you see someone else achieving something great, but if we keep trying, we will eventually get there too!


Remember to celebrate your victories, no matter how small they may seem.


Related: My favorite financial tool to get clarity on your money.


16. Don’t Give Up on Your Financial Goals

Don’t give up! This is probably the most important thing on this list because giving up should never be an option.


It may take some time, but if we keep working towards our money goals, we will get there.


Related post: New Normal – 6 Financial & Life Habits We Should All Keep.


17. Failure is Part of the Learning Process

Remember that failure is part of the learning process. Understanding this will help you keep your motivation to save money.


Sometimes things don’t work out, and that’s okay. Maybe an unexpected expense came up so we couldn’t save as much as we planned to this week.


We can always try again if something doesn’t go according to the way it was planned or expected. Life happens, and flexibility is important.

Related: 5 Boring Investing Tips For Beginners That Can Make You Money.


18. Don’t Be Afraid of Change

Change is necessary for growth, so try to embrace it.


Change can feel uncomfortable. If we are used to being spendy, suddenly adopting a money saving mentality won’t feel natural at first.

Remember that things won’t always be the same, and that’s okay. Some months we’ll find it easier to save money, and other months we’ll be on the struggle bus.


Overall you’re choosing a very positive thing to work on saving money. Your motivation to save money will start to feel more familiar and comfortable over time.


Related reading: Personal Budgeting: 3 Powerful Tips to Get Control of Your Money.


19. Take Time for Yourself

Take some time for yourself!


This is something we all need, especially when working on an important goal like saving money.


If we don’t take a break every once in a while, we can start to feel burnt out and uninspired. There are lots of free or cheap things you can do to recharge so you won’t get in the way of your own goal of saving money.


Go for a walk, have coffee with a friend, volunteer to walk dogs (or even walk dogs as a side hustle!).


Take time to recharge your battery so that when you come back, your motivation to save money is fresh.


Related post: How to Start Saving Money (So You Can Afford the Life You Want).


20. Evaluate Your Money Saving Goals

Make sure your goal is important enough.


This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s something we all need to remember from time to time.


If our goals aren’t important, we won’t be as motivated to achieve them. Spend some time brainstorming and figure out why it’s important to you to save this money.


Related post: How to Save Money on Travel – 6 Smart Hacks for Budget Travelers.


21. Don’t Forget Why You Want to Save Money

Don’t forget why you started your goal of saving money in the first place.


This is a great question to ask ourselves whenever we feel discouraged or unmotivated to save money. It will help us remember what our goal was all about and why it’s important to us. Sometimes we need a quick reminder of what we’re fighting for.


I’m usually pretty good at staying motivation to save money, but there are times when I struggle. What about you? Do you have any tips on how to stay focused and driven? Share them in the comments below!


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What are the ways you find motivation to save money?

Suchot - The Curious Frugal
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