This Genius Hack Will Help You Save Over $5,000 in One Year

There are plenty of creative ways to save money on a daily basis. Little changes in your spending habits can make a big difference in your checking account, but maybe you're not looking for a huge lifestyle change (because honestly, is any amount of money worth giving up your morning coffee?). If you're looking to save money in 2020 without sacrificing everything you love, then you'll want to check out this genius money-saving hack from TikTok user Krista Zahron, whose video has already racked up over a million likes. Her idea can help you save over $5,000 in one year if you stick to her method. Allow us to explain.

First, you'll want to buy 100 card-size envelopes, a shoebox-size card holder, a marker, and stickers. (Her sticker suggestion: this cute Park Lane Paperie 65-Pack of travel-themed stickers.) Then, you'll use your marker to write a dollar amount on each envelope, going in order from $1 to $100 (depending on your budget, you can easily adjust these to be smaller or larger amounts). Once you're done, stand all the envelopes upright in your box. Make a list tracking Week 1 through Week 50, leaving a blank box for you to check off after each week, and keep the list inside your box.

Every week, you'll choose two envelopes at random from the box. Whatever the dollar amount reads on the envelope is the amount of cash you'll put in. Once you've made your two weekly contributions, you'll check off a week on your list (and if it's a tight month, feel free to adjust the number of envelopes you fill). To keep yourself from cheating and grabbing cash before the year is up, use your stickers to seal each envelope after depositing the money. After 50 weeks, all 100 envelopes should be filled with the dollar amount indicated, and if you use Krista's amounts, it'll add up to a total of $5,050.

You can also use this hack over the course of 25 weeks rather than the full 50. Rather than buying 100 envelopes, you'll just buy 50, and you'll mark each envelope in order from $1 to $50 (again, you can adjust this to fit your budget!). You'll still choose two envelopes at random each week and make your contribution, and after six months, if you use Krista's amounts, you'll have collected a total of $1,275. Not bad for a fun project!

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