Let’s Celebrate The Summer of $5s

It’s just about a year ago that I began writing this blog. Save Money Fast With Fives grew out of my double desire to first, better understand the blogosphere, and second, to share my $5 savings plan with as many people as possible. It’s been a terrific year of learning, sharing, meeting new people, and most important, of continuing to save my $5s.

And the best news of all: it is almost summer (summer solstice in my neck of the woods here in New England arrives at 10:30 p.m. tonight, June 20), my favorite time of year!

I’d like to say thanks to all of the readers who have communicated with me about the blog. Thanks to those who have shared the blog with friends and family and through social media. At times, when the blog goes viral (which it does from time to time since one of my posts was featured on the Time/Money websites and Facebook pages), I get feedback from hundreds of people a day. Some think my idea is the best thing since sliced bread, while others (a minority but a vocal group) think I’m a savings fool, pointing out money lost to inflation or credit card points lost to cash transactions. Oh, phooey on them. I love saving my $5s and will continue to do so.

Share Your Story!

Now, as we enter the summer season across the country, I’d like to challenge my readers to get on board and share with readers of this blog how your $5 savings plan is going. There are so many ways in which you can participate. Readers, maybe a few of you want to write a guest post for Save Money Fast With Fives about how the savings plan works for you. Or, you could post a photo of you (getting a $5 back as change!). Or share a video of you talking about your savings habits. Or just post a comment or two about how saving $5s is going for you. I’m looking for any and all reader contributions about how saving $5 bills has impacted your life. Send me a private email or just use the comments section at the end of each post to talk to us.

OK, Ready. Set. Go. Let’s Celebrate! The Summer of $5s has begun.

Yours in Fives,

Marie

(savemoneyfastwithfives@gmail.com)

 

 

Advertisement

How Do I Feel When I Strike It Rich? Priceless!

 

You know the Mastercard ads that put a price tag on everything except the zinger at the end (the look on your ex-boyfriend’s face or the conversation between a father and son at a baseball game) because there are some things money can’t buy? That’s right, the Priceless ad campaign has been so successful Mastercard has used it for 20 years.

Well, priceless is how I feel when I get a windfall of $5s back in one cash transaction. It happened a few weeks ago when I got—are you ready for this—ten $5s back as change after using a $100 bill at my local CVS to pay for a purchase of $8.48.

I know. Using a C-note for something under $10 is a bit over the top but it was the start of a month and I’d just gone to the bank. You should have seen my face when the cashier counted out my change….two $20s, one $1, some change, and 10 $5s!  “Sorry for all the $5s,” she said having no idea she had just made my day.

The good news is if you start using more cash in your daily life the same will happen to you.

Assuming you start the week with the cash you’ll need for everyday expenses  (groceries, gasoline, purchases at the newsstand, pub or public transit station), here are a few things you can do to strike it rich (in $5s) more often.

Buy as you go….Most people only need a few things they don’t have each day, but we buy in bulk, often at one place. I buy only what I need each day, paying with smaller denominations increasing the odds I’ll get a $5 back.

Make more than one stop…On the way home from work, instead of buying everything at one megastore, make three stops to speciality shops increasing the odds of getting a $5 back.

Pay in bills of $10 or higher…..or add $1s to the mix if it’ll help you get a $5 back. If something costs $7, use a $10 and two $1s to pay. Good chance, a 5-spot’s coming your way.

Everyone needs to feel like they struck it rich once in a while. And while I wouldn’t want to get that many $5s back as often as happened recently (because obviously, I’d have to go to the bank to withdraw more money), it was priceless one recent morning.

 

Yours in Fives,

 

Marie