SaveUp Giving Away $1000 to Wise Bread Readers
Editor's note: The contest has ended! Congratulations to Adena DeMonte ($500 SaveUp prize), Dianne ($400 Comment Prize), and MCJunkie ($100 Twitter Prize). Please respond to us within 3 business days. For more giveaway goodness, check out SaveUp's new TurboTax giveaway this month!
Most rewards programs try to get you to spend money. Wouldn’t it be great if a program actually rewards you for saving money instead?
That’s the innovative idea behind SaveUp, a free program that rewards consumers with SaveUp credits when they do something good, like adding money to their savings accounts or paying off their debt. The credits can be used to win a ton of cool prizes, like a new Prius, a Hawaii vacation, or a life-changing $2 million jackpot.
At Wise Bread, we’re all about giving you the best financial tips to live large on a small budget. So now, why not get rewarded for all your hard work and have a little fun at the same time?
That’s why Wise Bread and SaveUp have teamed up to help you stay motivated with your 2012 financial goals. SaveUp is giving away $1,000 exclusively to Wise Bread readers and 200 free bonus credits to anyone who join SaveUp via Wise Bread.
How to Enter:
We have three different prizes ($500, $400, $100) for three different contests. You can enter all three to increase your chances of winning.
1. Exclusive Wise Bread Prize on SaveUp: $500
SaveUp wants to keep you motivated and reward you for your good financial actions with a special $500 prize — exclusive to Wise Bread readers only. To enter:
- Join SaveUp via this link (this is 100% free), and
- Go to SaveUp's homepage, click on the “Wise Bread Prize” and then on the “Play Now” button. You’re all set!
As a bonus, anyone who signs up using our link during the contest period will also get 200 free game credits. 200 credits will give you 20 different chances to win a ton of cool prizes.
2. Leave a Comment: $400 Prize
To enter the comment contest, leave a comment below answering this question: What motivates you to save? (Or if you’re not saving, why not?)
Your comment must be at least two sentences long to qualify. You can enter one comment per day.
3. Twitter Entry: $100 Prize
To enter the Twitter contest, simply:
- Follow @WiseBread and @playSaveUp, and
- Tweet this message: RT this for chance to win $100 from @WiseBread & @playSaveUp http://bit.ly/saveupwin #SaveUpWin
You may tweet once per day.
Contest Details:
- Contest ends Monday, March 12 at 11:59 pm Pacific. Winners are randomly selected. Winners will be announced after March 19th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email. Winners have 3 business days to respond. If you do not respond within 3 days we reserve the right to select new winners.
- You must be 18 and US resident to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Prizes may be distributed as Amazon, Visa, or MasterCard gift cards.
- You can enter all three contests to increase your chances of winning. But you can only win one prize.
How to Spend Your 200 Free Credits
SaveUp prizes are mostly lottery-style instant scratcher games. Each prize costs 10 credits to play. So with 200 free credits you can play 20 times! Personally I like to go for the prizes with the highest values. For example, these are my favorite:
SaveUp has some other great prizes that can fulfill awesome fantasies:
Join SaveUp.com via this link and get your free 200 credits today.
About SaveUp
Here’s a message from our contest sponsor:
Unlike traditional rewards programs that focus on driving consumer spending, SaveUp rewards users for performing positive financial actions, such as contributing to their savings or retirement accounts; paying down their credit cards, mortgages or other loans; and engaging with SaveUp’s financial education content on the site. Americans who bank at more than 18,000 US financial institutions nationwide can register their financial accounts on SaveUp and immediately begin earning SaveUp credits every time they save money or pay down their debts. The credits users earn can be redeemed for chances to win instant prizes and entries into weekly and monthly drawings.
SaveUp’s prizes range from the exciting (retail gift cards, consumer electronics) to aspirational (luxury vacations, home or wardrobe make-overs) to life-changing (a new car, money for college tuition, debt pay-off, or a $2 million jackpot).
In addition to making SaveUp fun and rewarding, we employ bank-level encryption to make sure our program is safe and secure for our users.
SaveUp's Special Tax Season Rewards
During this tax season, SaveUp wants to reward you for filing your taxes with the opportunity to win great prizes sponsored by TurboTax.
How it works:
1. File your FREE Federal Return with TurboTax
2. Log in to SaveUp and enter your TurboTax order number (Top right side of the page)
3. Automatically get entered into six $1,000 drawings
4. Earn 500 SaveUp credits (In addition to the 200 you earned as a Wise Bread reader)
Use your credits for the opportunity to win great prizes:
-
$10,000 “Double Your Tax Refund” sponsored by TurboTax
-
$10,000 “Pay My Taxes” sponsored by TurboTax
-
Vacations, cars, electronics, and cash up to $2 Million
Ready to win some prizes? Remember you have 3 ways to enter!
- Leave a comment below answering the question: What motivates you to save? (Or if you’re not saving, why not?)
- Follow @WiseBread and @playSaveUp, and tweet: "RT this for chance to win $100 from @WiseBread & @playSaveUp http://bit.ly/saveupwin #SaveUpWin"
Good luck!
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Several years ago, my cousin and his wife offered us a great deal: if we could afford the rest of the vacation, they'd provide the lodging for two weeks in Hawaii. Luckily, they'd given us a year's notice so we could get busy putting the money together. From that point on, saving became a real priority for us instead of just something we did when we had a little "extra" money. It inspired us to really look at how we could reduce our utility bills and grocery bills, not just to pay for a vacation, but to pay for our future.
What motivates me to save? I'm motivated by the ability to be financial secure in the future. Also, knowing I'm not spending money on things I don't need.
I really want to be financially independent. That is what motivates me to save.
I love to save up for trips and fun stuff. We only keep a minimum amount for an emergency savings because we try to make sure we don't have very many bills in the first place!
I save so I can retire without having to worry about not being able to do what I want. Also, I save because I hate throwing money away for stupid things.
What motivates me to save? The payoff, whether it is a planned vacation or the final payment on the home mortgage.
Working towards getting out of debt by 2014, then bumping up my 401k to the max.
Seeing my parents struggle financially gets me to work harder saving. I dont ever want to have to rely on my kids to pay bills for me when they are grown.
I am motivated to save by my love for my family. Money is the key to freedom which is the key to having more time which will let me spend more time with my family. I am motivated to take care of my family and saving will help me do that.
Motivation for saving? Mostly eventual retirement, and for emergency, whether it be unemployment or hospital bills or whatever.
Wanting better for myself motivates me to save. I'm paying off my credit card and car loan debt now while saving 10% for retirement.
I am extremely motivated to save. Until I can live the dream and be my own boss, I am a corporate wage slave and must save as much as I can.
I think what motivates me to save is wanting things. I want to buy a home and send our son to a private school. So were saving for these things. Growing up I didn't have much money, so I learned to work hard and save.
I think I save so it isn't stressful if something happens (immediately need new appliances, car, many doctor bills, etc) rather than for something. I always worry that if we suddenly have an emergency and then need to pay for it on credit, it may end up snowballing with additional fees, interest, etc. and paying all that unnecessary money is stressful to me. Although, it can be motivating to save for a new car - we are only going to pay cash, so in order to get there I really start to think twice about whether I need a yummy coffee or another cute shirt.
We're trying to save and pay down our debts to be in a position to help our kids get through college. Debt adds so much stress, it would be nice to be free of that!
I just signed up! I am motivated to save by the loss of my job this past Fall. I have become SOOOO frugal and careful. It's very different not having a paycheck.
Thinking about retirement and having the freedom to pursue my many interests comfortably motivates me to save. Savings=freedom.
In September of 2010 I had $75,000 in student loan debt and $4,000 in credit card debt from when I was a student and no savings. These debts felt like a noose around my neck. I felt like there was no way I could move forward with my life and my dreams (buying a house, going back to school, having a family) before these were paid off. I knew I had to do something serious so I started tracking my spending and working nights babysitting and finding one off jobs (like focus groups) to supplement my day job earnings. Now I have about $30,000 in student loan debts, no credit card debt, and about $11,000 in savings on top of my work 401k plan. Saving money, and finding creative ways to do it, has become like breathing to me. I expect to be completely done paying off my student loan debt this time next year and now can start thinking about the next chapter of my life.
Saving motivates me to learn new things.
I have learned how to sew, bake bread from scratch and grow a garden. Yes making my own bread might only save me a few cents a loaf, but those few cents really add up over the years! This allows me to spend a little more on higher quality meat once a year from my local meat locker and stock my freezer.
I want to have an organic farm some day so I can provide healthy, affordable food to my community. I know that organic gardening is not feasible on a worldwide scale, but at a local level it could provide safer, healthier food at a lower cost to the consumer. Plus the food won't be loaded with preservatives and chemicals which will keep people healthier in the long run. We don't have to rely on cheap, processed or gentically altered food in order to eat.
The ability to save and better afford Grad School is what motivates me to save. As a business major, I take saving very serious and furthering my education has always been extremely important to me.
In August I am getting an apartment and going to college again. I need to pay for all of this somehow, so 95% of all of my earnings goes to my college fund. :)
I believe that we should all be good stewards of the money that we have. we are blessed to live in a country such as this even with all its faults. We should be appreciative and strive to use money wisely. i save so that I can enjoy life more and so that I can have peace of mind and so that i can help those who are less fortunate. Being able to put money is it's rightful place gives one a great sense of freedom and joy.
I'm saving for my dream house and a family. Nothing too big...and maybe even a fixer-upper...but definitely something to call home.
I've always been a pretty decent saver, but I've been very motivated to ramp everything up lately. We just refinanced our house with a 10-year mortgage. We got a low mortgage rate, but that's not important. What's important is that for the first time, I'm able to envision a point in the not-too-distant future when we can be debt-free and have a pile of savings to give us the flexibility to do whatever we want to do. The idea of working hard and saving up to be debt-free by 40 (and possibly in our early 30s if we really focus) is amazing to me. The possibility of that amount of freedom is an enormous motivator.
I save money so I can spend money. Sounds kind of stupid, but saving money on most things allows me to purchase what I really want.
We lost half our income and have a baby on the way. It would be crazy for us not to save every chance we have.
After the last time I lost my job (layoffs suck) I realized that having an emergency fund was a key to our survival. When I got my next job, I started saving money faster. I also have a number of goals I want to do, so money in savings will help that. Financial freedom!
I save for a better future. You never know what might happen. And you do know that if you are lucky you will be old.
I am motivated to save because 1) I never want to be a slave to debt 2) I am working to put my husband through college 3) I have a dream to buy a little cottage in the woods to call home. :)
My family motivates me to save. I try to teach my children to not be a slave to money, that it is a tool that is meant to enhance life and not make your life miserable. I believe in being frugal and making careful money choices but I never want to be seen as cheap and unwilling to part from it. My money choices, including saving, are about creating and having a balance. We can have the things we like but in order to do so we sometimes need to wait. I am presently saving for a mini vacation, flooring and working towards paying off our truck.
Christine
Two major reasons motivate me to save: 1) the lack of job security where I work and 2) the desire to retire early at the age of 60. Since financial security is a big part of the retirement equation for me, I want to have my house paid for so I can spend money on other things. Also since life is so unpredictable, it’s always nice to have money in the bank for the so called “rainy day” events.
What motivates you to save?
My plan motivates me. My plan is to save so I can invest, invest so I can get income. My investments in dividend-paying stocks are all now reinvested, so over time the dividends buy more shares. More shares means more dividends.
The long term goal is to have enough dividends to support myself. Since stock dividends pay higher rates than savings accounts, despite stock market volatility, and since I invest in well capitalized companies, I am doing well.
Ever since we escaped from Vietnam - after 7 failed attempts - we've started from ground zero. Every single time my parents increased our quality of life by saving up. When we first came to the US we were at the mercy of the Red Cross and family. My Dad had created a very comfortable lifestyle in France, but believed in the chance of the American dream. Thus we started from scratch when we got to California. I remember as children we were tasked with grocery shopping with a calculator.
I've been a wise spender ever since I knew what money meant. I truly enjoy coupons and finding great deals before it was even trendy! I love to save money so that I can live comfortably and not be a victim of money nor materialism. I'd like to be independently wealthy so that when I go to church I can reach into my wallet and pull out a nice bill for the collection basket and not even have to think twice about it!
I am motivated to save because I know I am the only person who can make my American Dream come true. I rather save up for things that will last or create lasting memories and make work worth doing.
I am motivated to save money by the prospect of not having monthly payments. I dislike financing things!
I am motivated to save because I lost my job in the Fall. I have since discovered Frugality, and the importance of being prepared for life's emergencies.
I hated the fact that my family had to borrow money when I was growing up just to have a roof over our heads and food on the table. I promised myself to do whatever was in my power to never be in that position again.
My husband and I are motivated to save because of our goals. Our long term goal of paying our mortgage off early is our biggest motivator. For the little things, we save so that we can go on a trip to the UK this fall. Having a reason to say no to unnecessary expenses keeps things in perspective.
I'm a spontaneous person, so the idea of not having the cash to do fun, last-minute things (road trips, concerts, weekend activities) kills me. I'm young and this is fine for now, but my motivation will need to change as I get older (and wiser haha).
I am motivated to save to do fun things with my family (like vacations) so that I can enjoy them and not be worried about going into debt. I am also motivated to save so that "emergencies" don't bankrupt our family.
What motivates me to save? I motivate myself to save from the lessons I've learned growing up with my family and my parent's own financial distress. I want to be able to pave the way for myself to have a more stable future once my student loans are paid off and setting aside goals for my retirement.
3 years ago I was in a very bad car accident that wiped me out financially. Even though I was not at fault in the accident, I soon learned the hard way that I was responsible for paying all of my bills upfront and then waiting to be reimbursed by the other driver's insurance company once the case had been settled. I did not have the financial means to care for myself during this time, and that was a wake up call. I do not ever want to find myself in that situation again, which is why I have spent the last 3 years aggressively building an emergency fund. That is my motivation!
I'm motivated because we have no insurance or retirement any more. My husband lost his job and is now working for a temp agency. It has left us with a feeling of insecurity and need for a fall back.
Family is my reason for overall saving. Growing up my dad would always save in order to take care of his family and I really respected that. After meeting my wife and getting to know her background it motivated to save even more. Her father left her mom when she was in elementary with her and her brother who has down syndrome. Her mom had to work 2 jobs in order to have food on the table for my wife and her brother. As soon as my wife was eligible, she started working in High School to assist her mom with the bills. My wife received several scholarships for college and due to her academics she was able to go to college on a full ride scholarship. This took a lot of burden off her mom as she continued to work and provide food and pay the bills.
Today my wife and I assist her mom and brother with their living expenses. We pay almost half of their bills so its a sacrifice for my wife and I but I'm grateful to do this because of the sacrifices my wife have taken.
This is a big reason that I save so that I can assist family and my future family as my wife and I are expecting to be parents this summer. I want to be able to provide like how my dad did while growing up.
I appreciate this website along with Save Up for creative incentives to save.
Fear! Fear that I will never land another full-time job. Fear that I will never make decent money again.
I save because it is comforting to have a cushion if something goes wrong. Both of our cars are 12 years old and our house is at least 100 years old, so something seems to always need to have repairs done.
What motivates me to save is fear. I'm terrified of not having enough of an emergency fund to get by when things go wrong.
Watching my mom go through a retirement full of unpayable bills and having to live with others instead of on her own like she would like because she had no savings and has only a small social security check each month motivates me. I don't want all my choices taken from me because I didn't prepare properly.
I hate my job, and daydream of being free from it all the time. It's a great motivator to get me saving more money!
I am motivated to save by the lack of money we have for fun things. I want to travel, so I save whatever I can to achieve my goal
i'm an intern on a small stipend and a subsequently small budget, but i'm doing something i'm genuinely interested in. the way i see it, saving money is my ownr eward for allowing myself to do something where i don't necessarily get paid a whole lot, but still really enjoy and think is beneficial to my career. i plan on saving up to have a sense of ownership over life by spending on experiences rather than just material goods- travel, seeing new places, trying new things, etc.
One of my saving goals this year is to have a real family vacation. Money is a security blanket but it is also meant to be enjoyed. I grew up in a household that struggled with money so I work hard reminding myself that money is also meant to be spent and to add value by creating experiences and memories. This year I hope to take the kids to Washington DC.
Christine
I have always had am internal drive to save money. Growingg up my parents and siblings always came to me to borrow money. But most recently my daughter and retirement are adding to the drive.
Saving has always been ingrained in me since I was a kid and its not a surprise that I took a double masters in finance to set my life out.However, these days saving has been ardent and a bonding agent in my family to get out of debt. We have been working hard to pay off our mortgage fair and square(no other debts by grace of god) before our son grows up with his own demands and needs @ college age.
I had the blessing of being raised by parents who knew the value of hard word and the true cost of a dollar. They both had very labor-intensive jobs that required long hours and gave inadequate pay. Seeing them work as I grew up instilled in me a motivation to be financially stable and responsible. I am a young adult but nonetheless most of what I earn go into my savings. Paying off college loans is another great motivation!
We are not currently saving because we're trying to pay off debt. Once that is taken care of, we are motivated to save for retirement and vacations. We need a little fun in our lives and don't want to have to work until they put us under.
I realized today that I can (and will) put $1200 in my emergency fund and an additional $1000 to my student loan payment this month. Wow! Most of my savings is automated, but I must have been good about not overspending this month. Short term goals: To pay down 75% of my student loan and my fiance's, soon-to-be husband, small business loans within 3 years. I can't wait for the day that our debt will be zero!
My family motivates me to save. We have 3 boys and one on the way and I want to give them a good start on life by helping to pay for college.
I am motivated to save by the loss of my job. It is very hard to find work, I am making much less, and have learned to be extremely frugal
Another reason why I want to save is so I can travel. I am gearing up for a good full year of travel in the upcoming year and can't wait to get started.
What motivates me to save is constantly thinking ahead 30 years and wanting to have a comfortable retirement and to have enough saved to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren. I've seen how the economy has affected my parents and their friends, particularly with unforeseen expenses and medical costs, so I think about that every time I think of making an unnecessary purchase or consider foregoing putting extra money into my IRA or savings account!
I am motivated to save because I lost my job. I am attempting to save as much as possible in light of the situation
I like to save so I am prepared for surprises. Like the new brakes I need. lol
I am motivated to save because I lost my job. It has forced me to reevaluate my entire financial life.
I am motivated to save by thr loss of my job in the fall. I have become very frugal and creative especially in the kitchen
I am motivated to save by the loss of my job. I am motivated to stay frugal and keep spending to a minimum so I have money I can access in an emergency
I am motivated to save for my future - I do not want to rely on Social Security since I don't know if it will be around by the time i retire. I also like to save to see my savings account balance increase.
What motivates me is fear. I am afraid that one day I will not have enough money to eat or pay my medical bills. My grandmother who lived through the depression I think put that fear into me.
I am motivated to save because I lost my job in the Fall. Not having discretionary fun spending money has forced me to reevaluate, and pinch pennies everywhere
I am motivated to save so that if I really want to get something I can. If I am frugal with my money now then I won't have to worry as much later
I'm motivated to save for two reasons, the first is so that I am prepared when the inevitable situations that arise where I need a lot of money (ex. health issue, car issue, etc.). The second reason is so that I can afford to do things that I consider fun and enriching like travel or take classes.
My motivation is courtesy of Dave Ramsey: Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else. I currently have one debt (our house) which we are planning to pay off in just under three years. Then never again.
THAT is my motivation.
What now drives me to save is the loss of my job. I have learned how important a nest egg is.
I want to be able to retire as early as possible. So it's important to be frugal now so it will pay off later. In the mean time, we skimp on eating out, cable television, internet, and buying coffee out so we can go on nice vacations.
I save basically for two reasons. First, I like to have a comfortable cushion available in case of an unexpected expense. Since I am retired, and receive both Social Security and my government pension, I don't have to worry about loss of my job or income (unless the government completely implodes, which is rather unlikely). Secondly, I would like to be able to leave at least a little estate to my heirs.
I save because I never know what the future will hold. I want to be able to pay my medical bills and affording housing. I do not want my kids to take care of me.
I like the security that saving gives me. That's what motivates me.
I am motivated to save because all my kids will struggle to meet or even come near the level of comfort they had as kids. Everything is so expensive, I am careful what I buy, and I also ask myself if I need it before I buy it
I am always trying to save money. Right now my motivation is the need for new furniture.
The uncernity of the economy makes me save. You never know when you will loose your job or the prices will go up. It is getting tougher to take care of your family/
my husband and i just got married, but we want kids. that combined with wanting a place of our own motivates us both to save.
I am motivated to save because I was brought up by parents who did not have anything. My mother was a saver but my father drank sand gambled so they did not have much. It motivated me to always save no matter how little I made and live on the rest. Right now the fear of not having money in retirement or for college or household repairs is daunting.
My grandmother is a huge factor in my saving. She always told me to pay myself first. Great advice!
my husband and i just got married about 4 months ago, but we've been talking about kids forever. this desire motivates us to save.
My motivation to save is wanting to have money built up as a reserve.
You never know when illness or something else can occur you need to live off your savings for a while.
What motivates me to save is that I am nearing 30 years old and I want to buy a house shortly after. Once I get a house I will be able to relax and focus on other life goals.
I am saving so that I can be prepared for anything. You never know when you will loose your job, or incur a high medical bill. I want to be able to pay for it when it does happen and allow my children to not have to worry about money.
Another motivation for saving is the feeling of some security. I like knowing I have something saved in the bank.
I save because I want to get married...
In all honesty, I do save with marriage in mind. It'll probably happen in the next few years. :)
My motives me to save is knowing how a little can really go a long way. Saving your change really adds up and make a difference.
What motivates me to save is my family. I have to make sure we have adequate at all times to meet out need.
I save because we just found out we are pregnant with number 4. I want to be able to give my boys things I didn't have and help them pay for college. The future is what you make of it.
Another thing that motivates me to save is having some extra money for emergencies. We need brakes on the car.
What also motivates me to save is my baby girl due in April. I want to be able to provide for her with whatever she might need.
following both twitter as ky2here1, https://twitter.com/#!/ky2here1/status/176065123134353409
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/oshkoshbgosh123/status/176327960519905281
my husband used to be in debt so he knew firsthand that he did not want to return to that ever again. my brother was also in debt for a long time, and it was hard to watch my brother struggle with money. both of these factors motivate us to save.
The recent storms that came our way has motivated me to save more. I realize that I need to purchase some emergency supplies.
Also is important to save because of today's economy. We have to come up with ideas as to how to make ends meet and this is one of them
I am determined to pay down my debt! I also need to accrue about $5000 to pay for summer expenses since I'm a teacher!
I need to make repairs to our home. That is motivating me to save. A new roof needs to happen in the near future.