How do you make saving money 'exciting' or 'fun'?

[welor]

I am in my first 'adult job' after university and now need to grow up and save money. Previously any money I made on a saturday job was for 'fun' and not for savings.

I find it hard to make myself save money when I think of the nice things I could buy. I earn £3500 a month and save £300 of that in an automatic transfer. I then try and save another £200-300 a month on top of that but sometimes don't manage it.

If you want to save 500 put 500 away at the start of the month

Saving isn't fun, it's deferred fun

My god you earn that in your first job? That’s insane. But you need to have plans for the savings, both short term like holiday, but longer term like property deposit. Look at a Lifetime ISA so you get government bonus. Write out all your essential expenditure, give yourself a set amount for non essentials, and you’ll be able to see a realistic amount to save.

I'm not really sure you can make it fun...maybe you could get one of those giant wooden thermometers that they have when a church roof needs fixing?

I think it's more about being disciplined really. Just transfer over £500/600 straight away, pretend it doesn't exist. Work with what you have left.

That’s a fantastic starting salary.
I think the key is to make automatic payments into savings and investments at the start of the month.

Would you consider opening an investment ISA e.g. Nutmeg so you can add regular payments and see the profit fluctuate as the months go by? I check mine daily and get a little dopamine hit if it’s gone up. I’m 15% up at the moment.

A Monzo bank account lets you save into ‘pots’ (holiday/car/house deposit etc) so that might feel more motivating.

well in my experience it’s always more fun to spend money than save it! So you have to remind yourself why you are saving.

I never let myself get in credit card debt - there is nothing more soul destroying and aggravating than only making minimum payments and seeing interest pile up! I HATE giving my money to the bastard banks who have fleeced us all over the decades.

The Will to save is the next step: i do it by planning how it will be spent! When I was younger that was saving for a flat deposit or some item of furniture I needed for my flatshare

Later it was saving for a holiday or a new bike for my kid’s birthday.

I used to do an analysis on my bank statement each month and see what % was totally wasted on going out, buying shoes, fancy coffee.

Put away £500 at the start of each month, £200 in an easy access account & £300 in premium bonds.

If you pay yourself at the start of each month, you waste less on buying shit because you've already adjusted your spending. Don't wait until the end of the month to save, set up the automatic transfer at the start of each month.

The fun element is watching it increase and the relief that comes from having a decent fall back/emergency fund. You never know what is round the corner in life.

I found saving became addictive, I'd reach one goal then set another. I used to allow a sum of money for frivolous spending and invariably never spent all of it I found I got into that way of thinking of Do I really need/want this? the answer was usually No.

Similar thoughts to @BronwenFrideswide.

Once your savings and investments start building up, the feelings of confidence, freedom, choice and safety you get from watching them grow will make saving seem exciting. To help get you in the right mindset, I highly recommend reading these:
Your Money or Your Life
The Psychology of Money

It can also be fun trying to maximise the pleasure you get from the money you earmark for spending. Personally, I've never regretted money spent on travel and experiences - but 'stuff' just becomes clutter. Figure out what works for you. I now 'rent' my clothes from Vinted and eBay - worn a few times and then, unless totally adored, sold on.

You are lucky to be in a position to both live a comfortable lifestyle and to save. Make the most of it.

Well done for starting to think of savings straight away, you've made an excellent start on a great income! It's not fun or exciting, but you can get a boost from it, from knowing you're making smart decisions and not being frivolous.

You could set up an ISA share portfolio and buy shares? They tend to do better than cash in the long time. It can be quite fun watching them go up and down.

When I first started work, I used to spend a lot of money on clothes and bits and pieces for the house and books. Ultimately I have none of that left. But I still have some shares, giving me income every year and ready to be cashed when I need them.

As a former shopping addict my advice:
stop going shopping, it's not a good leisure pursuit. Fill your time with other things
never buy anything on the day: if I really want it, I'll come back and buy it next week
find delight in the thrill of a really good quality bargain rather than the designer version
question what gap in your life you are trying to fill with your purchases
remind yourself that it's not great to be defined by your purchases

Saving is indeed addictive.

A more effective way of wealth accumulation is to earn more. So chase that better paying job by upskilling, grasping opportunities to take on more responsibilities and going for promotion and if not jumping ship.

A higher paying job also means a bigger proportion goes into pension every month. It builds up quickly. Invest in a stocks and shares / passive fund, not cash, for more growth.

£3,500 is an excellent salary. Well done OP.

I wish I’d had the YNAB app earlier in my money life, so you might want to check that out.

You need a plan or goal for your savings to make it meaningful to you - ‘savings’ is not fun, but affording a property of your own, buying a car, going on a long-anticipated holiday or having a ‘fuck it fund’ in case you ever need to take a career break or swerve can all be fun. You just have to be clear what the ‘savings’ are for.