Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! This is a paid endorsement. All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One. To learn more about Capital One, visit www.capitalone.com.

Save Money By Activating Emotions! 

This little gown may not look like much, but 35 years ago it was worn by me as I was christened. #sharemysave

While there’s nothing super sexy about finances, the truth of the matter is that it’s super important. From buying the perfect house, paying off debt, and retirement to saving up for those little’s college education, paying OFF that perfect house, and everything in between, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and put those saving pants on! 

I recently shared my #sharemysave story and how holding onto some of these more nostalgic items has led our family towards a path of sharing for bigger things! The same emotions that arise when saving a nostalgic item can be tapped to save for the future (i.e. your nostalgic item can help you think about how you save and what you’re saving for – thus helping you save!). Now that it’s National Savings Day, we are excited to show YOU how emotional memories might have power over financial decision-making through a study conducted with Capital One. All of this is super fascinating to me, because I am THAT person that hangs onto every little item… I’m emotionally invested! And now that it’s National Savings Day, our family is ready to get to saving! 

A little bit of background on the study. Capital One and Financial Psychologist Dr. Brad Klontz of Creighton University sought to test whether positive memories tied to sentimental items, thus powerful and vivid memories, could be harnessed to improve financial decision-making – or, more specifically, savings behavior. The Sentimental Savings Study, sponsored by Capital One and led by Dr. Klontz, randomly assigned participants to one of two groups – the control group or the sentimental item group – and compared the results of the two groups. The control group received a standard financial education presentation (FE) without any emotional engagement. The sentimental item group (SI) experienced an immersive positive emotion-based presentation and exercises revolving around the sentimental item they were asked to bring with them to the study.

What they found :: 

  • The sentimental item group increased their savings rate three times (67%) more than the control group (only 22%) as reported in the follow-up phase.
  • If maintained over the course of the year, this change could represent $10,020 in annual savings on average, compared to $5,838 in annual savings on average prior to the study.
  • In Austin, the sentimental item group reported saving, on average, 40% more of their gross income three weeks after the emotion-based immersion.
  • Here are the full results!

What You Can Do – Tips and Tricks

  • Get specific. Don’t just have a “savings account.” Name it. Have a “2018 European Family Vacation
    Account.”
  • Harness the positive emotion tied to your own sentimental items to improve your savings behavior.

By incorporating sentiment and savings experiences into financial planning — workshops, money coaching
conversations, or even self-directed processes — It may be possible to successfully harness a person’s emotions in
order to facilitate better and healthier financial decision-making.

So as you start thinking about what special items you’ve been holding onto, remember Capital One has a BIG giveaway going on right now just for sharing your save story.

 

They want to take those stuff-saving habits, and turn them into money-saving habits. Capital One is honoring the need to save – and our innate emotional drive to do so – by dedicating an entire day to it: National Savings Day. What are they doing? They’re holding a contest! And yeah… there’s a $10,000 TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR prize at the end of the tunnel!!!!

For the contest, you can enter in the following way:

  • Online: upload a photo of something that is meaningful and add a short
    description or story about why the object in the Photo is meaningful. You can visit here (https://www.capitalone.com/sharemysave) to enter. (No Purchase
    Necessary)
  • Twitter/Instagram: log in to Twitter/Instagram and post a Tweet/Instagram post that includes a Photo, a short description or story about why the object in the Photo is meaningful, and the hashtags “#sharemysave” and “#contest”.
  • See official rules here: https://capitalonesharemysave.com/en-us/rules


    What do you WIN???

  • Grand Prizes : The grand prize is $10,000 and there will be FIVE WINNERS!
  • Weekly Prizes : The weekly prize is $500 and there will be FIFTY WINNERS! 

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