52 Week Money Challenge - Week 11 - 25 Frugal Ways to Have Fun this Spring

So far we have started bringing our lunch to work, used the Latte Factor, cut back on travel expenses, taken a long hard look at our finances, negotiating your bills, found way to make money (or other things you need) by bartering, and implemented a 30 day rule for purchases over a certain amount. Hopefully, after looking at your finances you found some more places to cut back.

Many people think because they are trying to save money or pay off debt that they can't enjoy themselves. Not true. There are many ways to have fun, on a budget. Check out these 25 tips from Savvy Sugar on having frugal fun this Spring... 

1. Plan a vacation. If the Winter doldrums didn't inspire any vacation plans, then start planning for a trip this year now. Studies have shown that planning a vacation can bring a lot of joy to the traveler.
2. Clean your home so you'll feel better and less stressed in the place you live.
3. Tend your garden or start one. It's time to celebrate all things green this season!
4. Bring flowers into your home cut fresh from the farmers market.
5. Visit a national park nearby to admire nature at its finest.
6. Run outside to enjoy the fresh air.
7. Shop for your wardrobe, and experiment with clothes you don't usually wear.
8. Try to support your local farmers by purchasing more locally grown food.
9. Go camping for an amazing outdoor experience.
10. Fly a kite in a park or an open space.
11. Picnic on the weekends.
12. Borrow a book on nature from the library, and learn more about a specific topic, like birds or plants.
13. Redecorate your work desk in Spring colors.
14. Try to add some color to your home by putting up a new decal or getting a colorful throw for your sofa.
15. Visit the zoo, the pound, or a pet owner's home to interact with animals.
16. Read books outdoors.
17. Make cocktails, and enjoy them on the patio.
18. Organize a barbecue.
19. Ride a bike.
20. Watch a movie that's been highly anticipated to debut this Spring.
21. Get a haircut.
22. Visit a farm.
23. Go to a meditation class to renew yourself.
24. Invest in a new piece of makeup.
25. Send a letter or cheery greeting card to a friend.

11 weeks in, these simple changes should start to become a habit. These are life changes not just to complete the 52 Week Money Challenge. The goal is to change the way you handle your finances and your life.

Challenge Total Week 11 = $66.00 

Saving money is hard. It takes discipline and self-control to stick with the plan you developed.  This year why not make it easy on yourself?

I am a huge fan of ING (ING has been bought by Capital One and will become Capital One 360. Doesn't look like much will change...). ING lets you automate your savings so you don't have to think about it. The greatest feature is that it takes a couple days to get money transferred back to your checking account. There are a couple ways around this, but not being able to touch the money in your ING accounts is great for medium/long term savings goals.

If you have an ING, or other savings account, simply automate your savings transfers each month according to the chart below and watch the money stack up.

If you don't have a savings account, GET ONE! Not just for this challenge but everyone needs at least one savings account - with an Emergency Fund.

This week $11.00 should be transferred to your savings account. We are up to $66.00 this year.

Things from this point on will start to grow pretty quickly. How are you doing? Any savings light bulbs going off? Have you planned what you are going to do with the money at the end of the year?

Even if you missed weeks 1 through 10, you can still get started today. Deposit $55 into a savings account and you will be caught up.

Keep Up the Good Work!