At this stage in the game, many of us are looking to taking our saving/earning to the next level. Yeah, you clip coupons. Yeah, you do survey sites. But who cares? No big deal. You want mooooooore.
You want to be where the class action settlements are. Submitting claims for class action lawsuits is a painless way that can add to your fund. It can seriously add to your savings, but most people ignore it because they think, “eh, it’s only a few bucks.” Only a few bucks?? That’s like, an hour of survey time, right there. Yes, most settlements will be less than $10, but free money is free money. If you are consistently submitting claims, they all those little scores will add up to a nice profit in the end.
Like any other saving practice, the key is training yourself to make it habit. Checking for settlements and applying for them takes very little time when you consider the reward. The more often you do it, the more it becomes second nature. The key is patience. Once you submit, it will be months, possibly even a year before you recieve your settlement. This is will be more along the lines of found money than a reliable earner, like an app or a survey site. Which, if you think about it, is kind of nice. You submit, forget all about it, and then one day you get a check for $5!
Which is exactly what happened to me this week. Mr. B got a settlement check from AT&T, which I had of course submitted and forgotten all about. Here is how it went, at the B house.
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MR.B: Oh, look, I got a check from AT&T.
ME: Oh! That’s the class action settlement I applied for a long time ago. How much did we get?
MR.B: 83 cents.
ME: Great! 83 cents for the Disney Fund!
MR.B: Are you serious?
ME: Of course I’m serious. Are you serious?
MR.B: It’s 83 cents.
ME: I know! Isn’t it great?
***
One thing I have learned from Saving to Disney is that there is no savings too small. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. My $3500 vacation is made up of many (many, many) payments of 83 cents. Or to quote one of my favorite princesses, Tiana, “Every little penny helps.” And I got 83 pennies! That’s a lot of help.
As we head into the holiday season, my focus is usually on spending, not saving. And that’s ok! This is the season of giving. And part of the reason I save during the year is so that I am able to give generously to the people that I love. I give myself permission to not freak out if my savings in these next two months are a little lower than I would like. Being intentional about saving also means knowing when to cut yourself a break. Which is why it’s important to treat each penny saved as victory, whether it’s 6,000 or 83.
Total Goal: $3500
Last Week: $2226.26
Total Deposit: $61.66
$60.83, from grocery budget rollover
.83, from AT&T settlement.
Still Need: $2164.60
Do you submit to class action settlements? How is your savings game affected by the holidays ? Tell me all your thoughts in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!