When I was 31 years old and had just started The Contract Shop®, I had $5 in my savings account. And that $5 often disappeared when I was short on paying bills, or thought I needed to order takeout for the third time that week.

Let’s be real — I’d even spend my last $5 when I couldn’t stop thinking about buying something “on sale” from my fav online store.

I used to be …umm… not so great with my money. But now? I’ve got hundreds of thousands saved up in the bank, multiple houses, and investment accounts. So what changed? How did I start saving and eventually, hit $100K in savings?

Today, I’m going to show you the things that worked best for me to help you spark some inspo on your own money and savings journey!

Hopefully, this is proof that you can break any cycle you have with your own money.

Invest in a Roth IRA

A Roth IRA is an Individual Retirement Account that can act as a savings account of sorts. It was the first place I decided to invest and start saving. What I like about these accounts is that you can take out the money penalty-free, but I wouldn’t recommend doing this unless it were absolutely necessary!

And not everyone will qualify for a Roth IRA account, but if you make less than $214K per year as a married couple or less than $153K as a single person, then you most likely meet all the requirements! (These rules change all the time, so check here for more up-to-date information.)

I know this kind of account seems very future-based, but even just a small amount on a weekly basis can help you reach your goals. I contributed about $115 per week and I ended up saving $5,980 in one year. It may not sound like much, but when you’re used to having less than a McDonald’s dollar menu item in your account, it makes a big difference!

Set up automatic transfers and deposits

Listen, someday is today. You’re never going to pay off debt and start saving money or do anything with whatever financial goal you have if you don’t start saving now. Again, it doesn’t have to be a big amount, it just has to be something, whatever you can afford to do right now. 

And in a couple of months, you’ll start to see the difference.

Consistency is key here. If you find you have trouble with it, set up automatic transfers and deposits! It’s really easy to do, either through your bank directly or through your payment software — just be sure to check that it has the capability to split paychecks! It will help you ensure you don’t forget to “pay” those savings accounts!

Soak in as much information as you can

For me, once I saw that money start accumulating, it became addicting — in a good way. I wanted to keep on saving. Eventually, saving money began to change my mindset about money in general. It wasn’t just about saving that dollar amount anymore, it was about being that person who was good with their money. 

So, I took in all the podcasts, YouTube videos, and free resources I could find just to fill my brain with all the need-to-know.

And you can easily do the same, even if you don’t have a lot of free time on your hands. Do it while you walk the dog or work out! Multitasking is okay here. 

Of course, take everything with a grain of salt. Not everyone who talks about money is a financial advisor, and most just share what’s worked for them — which doesn’t mean it will automatically work for you. Consider your own life and your own biz before considering it absolute truth.

Cut down on food delivery

Food delivery services like DoorDash were by far my biggest expense when I was broke. I never felt like cooking, and didn’t plan ahead at the grocery store, so I opted for delivery multiple times per week. 

And when I started cracking down on my spending habits, I told myself that if I wanted the food delivery bad enough, I would have to go to the restaurant to get it. This meant it helped me cut back on excuses of the “I’m just not in the mood for sandwiches at home” mentality.

9/10 it was about convenience. So I started thinking about how to make dinner at home more convenient for me, and it helped cut back the nearly hundreds of dollars I was spending per month on food delivery. 

The three-day rule

Like I said, I’m a recovered shopaholic. I definitely did have a problem buying things I didn’t need just for the thrills. So I started implementing the three-day rule. This meant I could online shop to my heart’s content, and add whatever I wanted to my cart, but I had to wait three days to actually buy it. 

And most of the time, I ended up losing interest. I learned that was I was looking for was the high that came from shopping, not the actual item itself. And window shopping worked really well to ease that “need” because it helped me stay on track with my goal to be financially free. 

I also made myself pay off what I spent on my credit card from shopping immediately. If it wasn’t cash I could pay to my credit card instantly, then I wasn’t in a place to buy it (BONUS TIP: Don’t let that debt linger and forget to pay it off…it will come back to haunt you and WRECK your credit score). 

Find ways to make more money

Of course, if you’re in debt, you need money to pay it off. But after you subtract the cost of living, business expenses, and being a human who needs a good snack now and then (yes, it’s okay to treat yourself), sometimes there’s just not much left over. 

That’s where making more comes in handy — you don’t have to go harder with your business and take on clients though. You can signup for services like dog walking on Rover, delivering food or groceries with DoorDash or Instacart, or start implementing digital products into your online business!

No matter your industry or background, the list below will give you 25+ ideas to get started, and show you how to start implementing digital products into your own business!

Let’s make you some money, honeeeey!