Here are some tips to load that piggy bank right up:
1 Start apologizing to your friends and family for not giving holiday presents this year
You’re totally excused this Christmas, and your loved ones would understand it if you break your streak of gift giving. You can tell them that their consideration is the best gift you can receive this season.
2 Have a savings target
As you stick to your daily budget, you must also keep track of your savings progress. Have a daily countdown till your last day of saving and write howmuch you’re spending and saving daily, so you’d know if you have to adjust some things to reach your goal. Install Daily Savings Goal Tracker or MySavings Tracker on your phone to make things easier.
3 Collect your spare change and loose bills at the end of the day
All those coins and 20-peso bills should go straight to your piggy bank at the end of the day—yup, every single one of them. Not only does it make your coin purse lighter, but it easily helps you save without you making much of a fuss. This writer easily saved 460 pesos in less than a week with this trick. 4 Collect debt Do people still owe you money? Now there’s no need to be ashamed to ask for it back. These words will work like magic: I need my money back for Coldplay.
5 Get yourself dozens of ‘raket’
It’s time to test your time management skills because you may have to bite off more than you can chew. Sign up on Upwork, a freelance website, and work on projects that will add as much as $30 each to your concert fund. And remember all the things you used to do for free—like editing a friend’s thesis or photographing a marketing campaign (or anything for “exposure,” really)? It’s time to put a price tag on them.
6 Sell stuff online
Do you have clothes that you haven’t worn in two months? Are there books (with plots that you don’t like) that are just collecting dust on your shelves? Maybe you have a few extra gadgets that you haven’t touched in a while. Is there a hobby or collection you’ve outgrown? It’s damn time to make money out of these!
7 Unfollow all online shops on Facebook and Instagram Easy—less temptations, less problems.
8 Do the 200-day challenge
You may have read the online article about a woman challenging herself not to buy anything new for 200 days straight, only this time, you can’t apply the loophole she created. Second-hand goods are still considered as “new” if it’s your first time owning something. Of course, restocks of necessities are exempted.
9 Say goodbye to the foodie in you
Keep out of newly-opened restos and say no to meals that are worth a day’s worth of your salary. Ask yourself if you also need that cup of third wave coffee before you line up. Taking in lesser calories also mean you’d look awesome in your future concert photos!
10 Don’t be late
Most commuters tend to hail cabs or book Ubers when they’re running late for work or hangouts. To spare yourself of the additional expense (and salary deductions), always try to be on time in your daily commute. Also try not to ride cabs unless your trips could be reimbursed. And if you’re going to noncommuter-friendly places, use Uberpool instead.
11 Join the lottery
For P20, why the hell not? You may end up with more cash than you need.
You may feel deprived, or maybe overworked for a long while, but don’t wallow in self-pity. Always try to remember that come April you’ll be treating yo’ damn self to para-para-paradise.