I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for American Express Serve. I applied for the Serve Cash Back card to facilitate my review and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
With the holidays fast approaching, we’ve been buckling down on our spending. Getting our finances under control is a never-ending effort, and it’s tough! If you’re in the same boat and don’t know where to start, I’ve got a free printable budget worksheet to help you get going…and some tips for saving big.
- Build an emergency fund. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to use our emergency fund for an unexpected car repair or medical bill. If we use it, that’s okay! That’s what it’s there for. It might take us awhile to fill it back up all the way, but it’s a money cushion we could not do without.
- Stop paying for coffee. You know how much that latte costs…and I know how much you love it (trust!). But even cutting your coffee spending in half can make a big difference. What if you spent half as much at the coffee shop and then put that into your emergency fund?
- Make it a game. It’s more fun saving money when you’re trying to see how much you can save than when you’re thinking about how little you have to spend.
- BUDGET. For reals, guys. Make an actual budget. Use this printable budget worksheet to get started…write down every.single.expense. Then you can really see what your input is versus your output and start making changes.
- Get rid of your credit cards. They’re not a necessary evil…once you get out of debt (and we WILL get out of debt – I’m in this with you!), you won’t want them anyway. So stop using them now. I don’t even have a credit card in my wallet. I pay with cash or with a debit card.
And speaking of debit cards…the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card is a great option. Register online to get your card – then transfer money to it via free direct deposit or by linking it to an existing credit card. You’ll earn 1% cash back on purchases you make with your prepaid debit card. You can start redeeming rewards on your next purchase.
I think this is a great gift idea for a college student, and I also think it would be helpful to pre-load with Christmas money…if you only shop using the card with the pre-loaded amount, you know you’re keeping your spending under control.
You can use your American Express Serve Cash Back card for all of the purchases you would normally make, and can even withdraw cash from an ATM. For a monthly fee of $5.95, card holders get direct deposit, online bill pay, and free in-network ATM withdrawals (a $2.50 American Express Serve fee applies for out of network ATM withdrawals).
I’ve been using my American Express Serve® Cash Back prepaid debit to get some early Christmas shopping done. It’s super easy to use – you use it just like you would any other debit card. You can check your balance online (there’s also an app). Once you’ve made your purchases, your cash back amount is automatically applied to your account. When you want to redeem it, you log into your account and simply click the “redeem” button – the cash back amount in your account will automatically be applied to your next purchase.
I’m pretty good at finding Christmas deals. So I can’t wait to use my cash back rewards to make my Christmas deals even sweeter.
The hardest part of saving money and budgeting, of course, is the actual saving money and budgeting part. For most of us, it’s not something that is easy or comes naturally. It takes work! I’d love to know your budgeting tips !
Download your free printable budget worksheet here.
You can register for an American Express Serve® Cash Back prepaid debit card here.
Find American Express Serve® on Facebook and Twitter for more info!
