20 Ways to Make Saving Money More Fun

All too often, it can seem like saving money means giving up all the fun things you want to do now. But saving doesn't have to feel like sacrificing. In fact, with a little shift in your mindset -- and some fun techniques to try -- saving can actually be fun.

Here are 20 ways to make the process of investing for your future much more enjoyable.

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As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases until late 2021, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

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Most of the time, you'll be excited about the things you're saving for -- such as a vacation or house down payment. So if you can focus your attention on each goal, that should make saving more fun.

Having separate accounts makes it easier to do that. Some banks even allow you to name them, so when you transfer money from checking to savings you'll actually be moving it into your "new car," fund or whatever other accounts you've designated.

Nothing gets you motivated like seeing your balance grow as a result of your hard work. So make sure you're tracking your progress as you save.

You can do that on a spreadsheet, or make an actual visual reminder of your goals you can look at whenever you want -- such as a thermometer you color in as you get ever closer to hitting your savings target.

Most of the time you'll either reach for your wallet to spend money or will sit down at the computer to shop online. So make your desktop background and screen saver a picture of the thing you're saving for, and put another photo of it right into your wallet on top of where you keep your credit cards.

Each time you start to buy something, you'll be reminded of what you're saving for. If you decide you'd rather get closer to your goal than follow through with the purchase, transfer the money you would've spent immediately into savings.

Saving is never going to be fun if you're all about sacrifice and don't allow yourself any leeway to do things you enjoy now. So figure out the one splurge that brings you the most joy and work that into your budget by cutting something else.

This may be your morning latte or buying a new outfit once a month or whatever it is that makes you happiest. Make that a line item in your budget, and make a promise to yourself that you'll save money in other ways. That way, you can enjoy your indulgence guilt-free and feel better about other sacrifices you may have to make to save.

It's always more fun to accomplish something challenging if you have someone to do it with you. So join with a spouse, partner, family member, or friend who is also interested in saving more.

Lay out your goals with your accountability buddy and have regular check-ins to share your progress and cheer each other on.

Our credit card expert uses this card, and it could earn you $1,148 (seriously)
As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases until late 2021, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

That’s why our expert – who has reviewed hundreds of cards – signed up for this one personally. Click here to get free access to our expert’s top pick.

Making savings into a game always makes setting aside money more fun, and you can do that easily with the 52-week saving challenge.

Basically, this challenge involves saving $1 the first week, $2 the second week, $3 the third week and so on. Do it for a year, and by the last week, you'll set aside $52.

This process allows you to start small and slowly build up to saving more. It'll also leave you $1,378 richer by the end of 52 weeks. While many people start this challenge at the beginning of a new year, you can begin any time.

ALSO READ: How the 52-Week Saving Challenge Could Make You Much Richer by the End of 2021

The 365-day money-saving challenge is a twist on the 52-week challenge. This time, though, you'll save just $0.01 the first day, $0.02 on day 2, $0.03 on day 3, and so on for the entire year. On the last day, you'll be putting $3.65 into your piggy bank.

Investing just pennies a day doesn't require much sacrifice on your part -- but it adds up to an extra $667.95 over the course of the 365 days.

If you still pay with cash, this challenge can be a fun way to boost your savings.

It's simple to do, too. Just make a commitment that every time you get back a $5 bill in change, it will go directly into savings. You may just find yourself looking for opportunities to get $5 back so you can boost your account balance.

Another fun, classic approach to savings involves investing any coins you get back. You can just throw them into a jar and then turn them into the bank at the end of the year.

This challenge can actually be done even if you primarily pay with credit cards, as there are several apps that allow you to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and transfer the difference into savings.

Many people use no-spend-days or no-spend months to boost their savings rate. These are exactly what they sound like. You commit to going a certain period of time without buying anything but the bare necessities.

You can make this even more fun by making it a contest. Challenge your partner or a friend to see who can go the longest without spending even $1, or who can end up with the most no-spend days over a month or a year-long period.

Our credit card expert uses this card, and it could earn you $1,148 (seriously)
As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases until late 2021, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

That’s why our expert – who has reviewed hundreds of cards – signed up for this one personally. Click here to get free access to our expert’s top pick.

Most people spend a significant portion of their monthly budget on groceries. But the pantry challenge can slash your spending in this area.

The pantry challenge involves not buying any new food for as long as possible while living off the ingredients already in your pantry, fridge or freezer.

This challenge can inspire you to get creative with recipes, help avoid waste, and reduce your food budget substantially.

You can also save money at the grocery store by aiming to make delicious, low-budget meals. Challenge a partner (or yourself) to see just how cheaply you can make each meal.

If you're playing the game with someone else, the person who makes the best meal at the lowest cost wins. If you're playing by yourself, aim to keep each meal under $5, or challenge yourself to keep going lower and lower with the budget while still staying healthy and making something good.

ALSO READ: Here's How I've Mastered the Art of Buying Groceries in Bulk

Saving money is easy when its effortless, and cash back credit cards can make that possible.

Sign up for a card that allows you to earn generous cash back that's deposited right into a bank account or investment account. That way, you'll be saving a bit of money for every single purchase you make.

If you can pay less for purchases, savings also becomes easier. And coupons allow you to do that.

Aim to use at least one coupon for every purchase you make, whether in store or online. And challenge yourself to see how many coupons you can use per trip and how low you can bring down your spending.

In most cases, your receipt will show how much using the coupon saved you. As soon as you can after you've completed the purchase, transfer that amount right into a savings account.

You've probably heard of a "swear jar" that you put a coin into whenever you say a bad word. But you can do a more positive twist on this technique that's usually used to break bad habits.

Instead of putting money in every time you break a rule, make a small deposit into your savings account whenever you do something good -- like depositing $1 into the account each time you remember to pack a lunch for work.

Our credit card expert uses this card, and it could earn you $1,148 (seriously)
As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases until late 2021, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

That’s why our expert – who has reviewed hundreds of cards – signed up for this one personally. Click here to get free access to our expert’s top pick.

When you have big financial goals, it can sometimes seem like it'll take forever to accomplish them. This can get discouraging.

To make sure that doesn't happen, break your big goal down into little ones -- and celebrate when you achieve them.

You can buy yourself a small treat each time you put away another $500 or $1,000, for example. Or, if you don't want to spend much, then make yourself your favorite dessert or do something else special each time you hit your target.

Most people have things lying around the house they no longer want but that could be valuable to someone else. So host swap parties with your friends to trade these unwanted items for things that are more useful to you.

You can organize your swap parties around themes, such as clothing or kids toys or kitchen equipment. And until the pandemic is over and gathering in person is safe again, you could do them virtually in a Facebook group or Zoom call.

Buying used keeps items out of landfills and, with some rare exceptions (think bedding and kids' safety gear), it's usually just as good as buying new.

So try a challenge to see how long you can go without buying any brand-new items. Instead, check out thrift stores or Goodwill, craigslist, or Facebook groups to purchase anything you need that's used.

There are tons of apps designed to help you save money. Some round up your purchases and invest the difference. Others study your spending patterns and decide how much spare cash you can transfer to savings.

Try out a few different apps to see if any of them are fun for you to use -- and to find out which save you the most.

Ideally, you'll keep your savings in a high-yield savings account where it can earn at least some interest. Keep track of how much it's earning to celebrate the "free" money you're being rewarded with for saving.

And aim to increase this amount, both by making sure you have the best savings account for your needs and by adding more money to the account as quickly as you can.

If you're currently earning $5 in interest per month, for example, see if you can get that up to $8 by the end of three months.

Our credit card expert uses this card, and it could earn you $1,148 (seriously)
As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases until late 2021, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

That’s why our expert – who has reviewed hundreds of cards – signed up for this one personally. Click here to get free access to our expert’s top pick.

When you make saving into something you want to do, rather than something you have to do, you'll enjoy the process a lot more. Try out as many of these 20 tips as you can, and you'll likely end up surprised by just how much you can put into your savings account.