It sounds easy enough.
If you (like me) are struggling to save money every month, allow yourself to be inspired by this thrifty Sydney mum – who managed to save up a whopping AUD 1000 in just a few months.
Speaking to
Kidspot, teacher Chantal Llamas, 35, explains how she used the "Coke Bottle trick" to help her save up enough money to bring her family on a holiday to Hawaii.
How she did it? By filling a 600ml Coke bottle with $2 coins.
“I teach finance literacy at different high schools to help kids be more aware of the responsibility of money and smart ways to save,” Llamas explained.
“I was telling them about different tips that I do to save money and then asked them if they had any tricks. And that is when one student told me about the Coke Bottle Challenge."
The Australian mum-of-one explained how she started off with $20 worth of $2 coins and after putting them into the empty Coke bottle, was shocked with how little space it managed to fill.
“At that stage, I didn’t believe just filling a 600ml bottle could give you $1,000 or anywhere near that," she says. "I told my husband about it, and he said, ‘Well, let’s try it then, how hard could it be?’”
However, with every little addition, the bottle slowly, but surely began to fill up, and Llamas admits that seeing their saving grow in front of their eyes, she and her husband became “crazy” about obtaining as many $2 coins as they could.
“We became really savvy at getting $2 coins,” she explains. “My husband would get a small coffee every day instead of a large, so he would get change from a $5 note. And if I got two $1 coins, I’d always ask if they could please swap it for a $2. They must have thought it was strange."
But their crazy collecting of coins paid off.
“We got so excited every time we got a $2 coin. The more we filled the bottle, the more excited we got and the more we wanted to top it up.
But hard as they tried, the bottle, which the couple kept at the back of their wardrobe, took nine months to fill up.
"It seems easy, but then you realise how small the coins actually are.”
When they counted out their savings, the young family realised they had managed to save $880 in coins – enough to pay for flights to Hawaii and their very first family holiday abroad.
“It was amazing to see we’d saved almost $900 without even really noticing,” Llamas declared.
“I’d recommend this to others for sure. It’s such an easy thing to do. Even if you’re a terrible saver or don’t have a huge income, it’s very doable. You don’t really miss a $2 coin. They’re just thrown into the bottom of a bag or on the floor of your car. I hope this might inspire others to give it a go. It might take some longer than others, but when it fills up it will all be worth it.”
Well, we don't know about you, but we are inspired to give this method a saving a go!
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