How To Save – When You Hate To Save

I’ll be candid. For most of my life, I hated saving money.

There, I said it.

Every time I heard “you should save more,” it felt like someone was telling me to floss more often or eat spinach instead of fries. Sure, I knew it was good for me… but it was hard to get excited about.

Then one day, I realized something about myself (and most humans): responsibilities feel like work; desires feel like fun.

When we frame saving as something we have to do,  like paying bills or scrubbing the bathroom, our brains instantly rebel. But when we connect saving to something we want to do, everything changes.

Let me explain how this clicked for me.

The Problem: Saving feels like a chore

A few years ago, I was trying to “be responsible.” I set up an automatic transfer into a savings account called, very creatively, “Savings.”

Every month, I watched money leave my checking account and go sit somewhere else doing nothing. It felt like punishment. My motivation? Zero.

That’s when it hit me.  I didn’t hate saving. I hated saving for nothing.

The Shift: Make saving fun again

Around that time, I decided I wanted a new guitar. (Because, let’s face it, you can only play “Smoke on the Water” so many times on a beat-up acoustic before you start questioning your life choices.)

So I opened a new savings account and named it “D–SHINY NEW AXE.”

I made it fun. Every time I transferred money in, it didn’t feel like I was losing it. It felt like I was getting closer to something that genuinely excited me.

Each deposit was like tuning a string. Small, deliberate, and satisfying.

And that’s when the habit started to stick.

The Lesson: When saving feels connected to something you want, your brain stops fighting it. You start to crave that progress. It’s no longer “ugh, I have to save.” It’s “yes, I get to save!”

The System: The “Dream Account”

Here’s the step-by-step system I now use (and teach in The Money Habit):

Pick a desire, not a duty. Something that excites you. Perhaps a trip, a new bike, debt freedom, or even a weekend away. Open a dedicated savings account. Give it a name that makes you grin. (Yes, names matter.) Add even the smallest amount. You don’t need to wait until you have a big deposit. Every little transfer reinforces the habit. Celebrate the deposits. Watch your progress grow, not the total. 

When your goal feels personal and fun, the habit becomes automatic.

The Surprise Benefit

Here’s what I didn’t expect: once I got into the rhythm of saving for fun, I started saving for everything else more easily, too.

Because my brain was learning that saving wasn’t deprivation.  Now, saving was empowerment.

Now I have other accounts with equally ridiculous names like “D–FUTURE FREEDOM FUND” and “D–GETAWAY (NO EMAILS)”. Each one connects to a desire that fuels me instead of draining me.

Once you build the habit of saving for joy, you also start saving for peace of mind. Emergency funds, business buffers, and debt repayment all become easier when your mindset shifts from scarcity to excitement.

Your Turn

If saving feels like work right now, don’t start by forcing yourself to “be responsible.” Start by connecting it to something you genuinely want.

Name it. Own it. Celebrate every step.

You’ll be shocked by how quickly a small mindset shift can create a big financial transformation.

Saving doesn’t have to be boring. It can be exciting, motivating, and yes,  even fun.

So what’s your “SHINY NEW AXE”?

Open that account. Give it a name that makes you laugh. And start saving toward something that makes you want to save.

Before long, you’ll look at your bank balance and realize something magical.  Saving isn’t a chore anymore. It’s a habit that gives you freedom, not takes it away.

And that’s the real money habit worth building.

–  Mike

The post How To Save – When You Hate To Save appeared first on Mike Michalowicz.