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September 10, 2025
Every parent or guardian knows one of the most effective methods for motivating kids to do something boring is to turn it into a game. For example: assigning points values to household tasks like cleaning up their bedroom, putting away their toys, or taking out the trash, with the promise of a reward when the child reaches a certain point total.
This is referred to as “gamification,” where you take the most engaging elements of a game, such as competition and rewards, and apply them to real-life activities. Gamification can help make otherwise mundane tasks feel less like chores by tapping into the human desire for achievement.
Gamification can be equally useful for adults trying to establish good spending habits. You can “trick” your brain into positive behaviors by attaching a reward to that behavior. Whether you’re looking for ways to teach your kids financial literacy or want to motivate yourself to get your finances in order, here are some ways you can gamify your savings.
Saving money is hard. At a basic level, you are depriving yourself of present gratification to save for a future goal. We’ve all heard of retail therapy; our brains are wired for the dopamine rush that comes from getting what we want, which leads many to spend their money as soon as they receive it (and sometimes even before then). However, we can use this chemical impulse to our advantage!
Setting up short-term, budget-friendly rewards for reaching savings thresholds can help alleviate this habit by providing you with small dopamine rushes along the path to your eventual savings goal. For example, let’s say you are trying to save up $1,000. You create a rule that, for every $200 you save towards this end goal, you will treat yourself by going out to a restaurant for lunch. Suddenly, saving that $1,000 becomes a series of “level ups” that you need to reach to “finish” your game, and along the way you get to enjoy the rewards of hitting each milestone.
One of the benefits of this strategy is that it requires you to pay attention to your income, which is an essential habit for anyone learning how to budget properly. You can maintain a better sense of your financial situation and become more mindful of the connection between your money and the time it takes for you to earn it.
Most people who have participated in a fundraiser will have seen an example of this strategy. Fundraising organizers use an oversized cardboard thermometer to represent the amount of money that has been raised, to provide a visual shorthand of the progress being made. By displaying the distance from the goal and seeing the shrinking gap between your current progress and the target, it helps you understand your progress at a glance and encourages you to continue as you get closer to your goal.
There are many savings apps that provide interactive charts, graphs, and other visual trackers to help turn numbers into easier-to-read visual data. These apps can also provide real-time updates and notifications to remind users of their achievements, which can also reinforce their motivation to save.
Engage in Friendly CompetitionWhile it can feel awkward discussing money issues with friends, sometimes having a support network around you is the best way to encourage saving. You should consider participating in a savings challenge with friends or relatives to encourage everyone to practice good spending habits. If you do decide to go this route, make sure to keep the competition friendly! Compete for bragging rights rather than material rewards.
You should consider creating a physical leaderboard that you can update periodically to show who is in the lead in your competition. This kind of challenge also encourages participants to share their progress, tips, and success stories with one another, as well as providing a support network in case certain participants are struggling to hit their savings goals.
Introducing gamification into your personal finances can help you develop consistent savings habits. Our brains love completing challenges and earning rewards, but sometimes it can feel like saving money isn’t a reward in itself and you need that little extra push to get you into the habit.
Whatever it is you decide to do, the key is to get started and stick with your plan!
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to get started, reach out to a customer service representative at your financial institution. If you’re looking for a change in financial institution, New Tripoli Bank’s team of community bankers are trained to help individual customers who might need assistance when it comes to reaching financial goals, and we are constantly updating our online and mobile banking platforms to provide customers with the tools they need to practice good spending habits.
Kate Hart-Zayaitz is New Tripoli Bank's Chief Lending Officer and Senior Vice President. Kate has spent many years working for various community banks in our area. She was born and raised in Emmaus and has been involved with multiple banking and economic organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley.
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