I have always wanted to be one of those people you hear about that hides cash around their house. They save and save, forget about it, and years later discover piles of cash or coins with delight.

I have tried this strategy many times.

Two things typically happen:

1. I do not forget where it is….so I spend it. OR
2. I forget where it is or that I started it at all, and the amount never grows.

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A few years ago I thought I would start one of these “secret savings” envelopes towards a trip for Kevin and I.

I felt so resourceful and proud of myself for planning ahead. I was going to put $2 a week in it for a few years and voila…a trip would happen!

Two years later when we were moving out of our apartment, I discovered a mysterious envelope inside our wedding album.

I opened it and laughed. There was $2 in it. I was reminded of my “great” plan a few years earlier.

I applauded my good intentions and bought a cup of coffee with the $2.

Moral of the story: The best savings strategy is not someone else’s. It is the one you will stick to.

We are by no means masters of saving.

But we have discovered strategies that (mostly) work for us, like having our savings at a different bank than our checking. This makes it harder to access and easier to grow the amount and forget about it.

So if saving money is an area you want to improve, find a strategy that works for you.

And if you are one of those people who can hide cash effectively, I applaud you.

-Brittany