Historically saving money has been hard for me. It’s not because I spend money on silly things, I don’t. I have five kids, so in a given month, an extra splurge at the grocery store and a couple of unexpected kids expenses and the budget can go pretty quickly. I realized that saving money outside of the bank accounts I see daily could be helpful. So, let me introduce you to two apps I’m using to secretly save money.
Digit
Digit is a service that analyzes your bank account to understand your spending habits. It then begins to make small withdrawals from your account at times during the month when it knows you won’t miss the cash. It will sometimes save $5 and sometimes up to $20. As of yesterday, Digit has saved $118.54 for me this month.
Things I like about Digit:
- It’s not an app; it’s a service that texts me instead, which is a nice change.
- I get a text message daily with my checking account balance from yesterday, what it is today, and the option to reply and have digit tell me my last transactions.
- I can save more money by texting Digit, or I can withdraw money by texting as well.
If you want to sign up and try it out, here is my affiliate link where I can earn $5 😉 – http://digit.co/r/EvBmy?so
Acorns
Acorns is more than just savings; it’s investing small amounts in mutual funds. When you sign up, you can choose how risky a mutual fund based on your lifestyle. Not surprisingly, it thought I should go with a less risky one, another confirmation that I’m not the rebel I once (thought I) was. Acorns saves in three ways, by rounding up all of your purchases to the next whole dollar amount and investing the “change” in the fund, by a scheduled deposit each month, or by putting in lump sums as you choose.
Things I like about Acorns:
- It has an app with a chart showing my account performance. So far I have earned $1.34 on my investments. It’s not much, but more than I had before.
- I like the roundup feature and the regular, scheduled savings each month.
If you want to sign up and try it out, here is my affiliate link where I can earn $5 😉 – https://acorns.com/invite/C537CA
Are there any other services like these I should check out?