Tricky Ways To Stash Money When You Think You're Broke

There have been many seasons in life that I have felt pretty broke. And those are the times when I worked hard to figure out how to stash money away.

These were the times I felt it was most important to save up some cash. Sometimes it was to build up our savings account, save for a vacation, hide some money from my husband to buy him a gift, or I just didn’t want to be caught with a real need and have no way to cover it. There can be many different reasons that motivate us to set some money aside. It can be a hard thing to do, though.

After getting the bills paid, it might look like there’s nothing left.

The surprising thing is … there is usually a creative way to get some extra cash. It just takes a little bit of time, some motivation, and creativity.

I have come up with a few ideas for a way to easily set aside hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

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How To Stash Money

A Change Jar – $300.00

This is one of the least noticeable or least painful ways to start saving money. Every time you get coins back from a purchase put it in a jar. I know it doesn’t seem like it could add up to enough to matter, but it does. Our family does this and we have been able to accumulate about $300.00 every year. At the end of the year throw this money into your savings account.

Success Tip: Make sure that you get those coins in the jar. Don’t be tempted to use them, EVER! That way, the next time you break a bill for another purchase you’ll get change back again. Your coins will add up even quicker this way.

Tuck Away Some Bills – $260.00 plus

Choose a denomination of currency and similar to the change jar, put every one of them in a hidden place. As an example, every time you get a $1 or $5 bill stick it in an envelope in your dresser drawer. These will add up quickly and won’t necessarily be noticed when missing from your wallet. You’ll probably save at least $5 per week this way.

Withdraw Extra Cash – $260.00-$1,040.00

Each time you make a purchase, withdraw an extra $5 – $20 and put it away somewhere. That’s a pretty big savings to accumulate in a year even if you only do this once per week.

Success Tip: The trick here is to make sure you don’t just withdraw it and spend it. You need to have a specific place to put it. Start by tucking it in a drawer, then set up a specific savings account and deposit it at least monthly. Make sure you can’t withdraw this money at the ATM and you won’t be tempted to use it.

Return Recyclables –

I’m not putting an amount of savings on this one because it is so variable, depending on where you live and whether you drink soda and bottled water. Here, in Oregon, every bottle is worth $.10, so it adds up quickly for families that drink those things. We rarely do, so we only make about $5.00 every few months.

If your family uses canned and bottled drinks, make sure and save those empties up. When you don’t, it’s like throwing your money right in the trash.

Use Ebates – $50.00 Plus (depending on shopping habits)

Every time you make an online purchase use Ebates and put the money in savings when you get your checks. If you do any of your shopping online, you should always go through Ebates. Not only do they give you cash back on your purchases, but they give you access to Discounts, Coupons, Promo Codes, and Sales. Make sure you sign up for Free now, so you don’t miss out when it’s time to do your Holiday Shopping. That’s when you’ll probably make the most money. You get $10 Free Cash just for making your first $25 purchase.

And, you can earn even more money when you refer your friends to Ebates. They’ll be thanking you for helping them earn big money, too.

Use Ibotta – $100.00-$200.00

Ibotta is a cash back app that you can use towards all kinds of purchases at the grocery store and stores like Target, Kohl’s, Uber, and many others. Use Ibotta when you go grocery shopping and let the money accrue. I’ve gotten over $100.00 back through my Ibotta app since I signed up 7 months ago. I’ve had the money transferred right to my PayPal account. You can also get gift cards with your cash back, which is great if you’re looking for birthday and Christmas gifts. Sign up for FREE here.

Get a FREE $10 Welcome Bonus from my favorite grocery savings app, Ibotta. Just click this link and sign up for FREE.

Declutter Your DVDs – $20.00 – $100.00

You can go through your whole collection of DVDs and get rid of all the ones you don’t watch over and over. So many of us have gotten DVDs as gifts and we really don’t need them taking up extra space. You might as well make a few bucks from them instead of taking them to Goodwill. Typically a pawn shop will take these, though don’t expect them to pay much. If you want to spend the extra time, sell them through Facebook or Craigslist for a little better price. Only do this if it’s worth your time, though.

There are many ways you can try to make a bit of extra cash and it’s going to be a little different for each of us. Start by deciding on an amount of extra money that you’d like to come up with and make that a goal.

Next, take 15 minutes and try to brainstorm all the things you can do to make a few extra dollars. You might be really surprised with what you come up with.

After that, make sure and follow through. This is probably the most difficult part. Knowing how to stash money only works when you actually commit to it. When you have brainstormed your list, make sure and post it somewhere prominently with your goal listed and start working through it.

Your Steps

Make a Savings Goal
Brainstorm a List of Ways to Reach That Goal
Work through your list one item at a time until you reach your goal.

Good luck on your savings journey. Usually one of the things that makes us most successful is getting other people on board to support us. Also, just saying it out loud makes us a bit more accountable. Share in the comments below what your goal is and how you plan to work towards that goal. Other readers will be better motivated when they see what you’re working towards.

Knowing other ways to save money can help you on your journey to stash money away. Read these related articles and you’ll be well on your way.

Tricky Ways To Stash Money When You Think You’re Broke