PLAY TO SAVE
Feeling the pinch? In this extract from Budget Like a Legend: Hot Tips From a Guy Who’s Been There, Kāpiti Coast author Cameron Wislang lays down a fun money challenge with achievable goals to try with family or friends.
THE NO-SPEND WEEK
OK, don’t take the name of this one too literally. A no-spend week (or however long you like) is a predetermined time period you set for yourself, or your family, when you won’t spend any money aside from covering essential bills. This means no takeaways, no lunch dates, no movies, etc.
(My wife) Kaitlyn and I like to do these to rein ourselves back in after a period of big spending, where we might have been splurging or there might have been a load of unexpected costs. Whatever the reason, a no-spend week is a great way to hit the reset button and see the bank account looking a bit healthier.
As soon as you finish a no-spend week, you will likely find that spending money on nonessentials will be a lot more noticeable, and you will be a lot more mindful about it.
THE DECLUTTER
You might think of decluttering as going through old boxes and finally parting with the Barney the Dinosaur soft toy that has been around since you were three. Budget-friendly declutters are a chance to pull things from around the house that can be exchanged for cold, hard cash.
Search your house to find things you no longer need that are still in usable condition. Sort them into two piles: One for things you think you can sell, and one for unsellable items. With your first pile, have a garage sale, or chuck the items up on Facebook Marketplace to skip seeing awkward people look at your unwanted things in front of you.
With your second pile, and anything else that doesn’t sell from your first pile, donate the items to an op-shop or offer them for free on your local community page. Please don’t take rubbish to op-shops – don’t be that guy.
THE HUSTLE GOAL
This one’s for the creative people who want to dive into something and just have fun with it.
See how much money you can make outside your usual income. First, set a target amount that you want to earn over 30 days. (For this challenge to work, you need to be realistic about how much time you can commit. If you only have a few free hours a week, make sure to set a lower target. If you can commit an hour or two a day, set something higher.)
Next you need to hustle. Find any and every way to make money. You don’t need big wins or a well-thought-out plan – there’s no room for doubt in 30 days! Just jump straight in.
Offer to mow lawns, weed gardens or wash cars. Jump on freelance websites to see what work you could pick up. Go to op-shops and find something to restore and on-sell. Do anything you can to make a bit of extra money.
I like to do this challenge with someone. The competition can be so much fun. When Kaitlyn and I did it, we decided to flip furniture. I made about $600 and she made about $250. I was pretty pleased with myself and I tried not to be a sore winner, but it was hard.