How’s your budget going?

A few weeks back I told you how I was plotting out my busy fall season of spending and putting pencil to paper to look at what I spend, where I spend, and how I could make that money work for me.

Budgeting is not something that comes easy to me, so I use forced savings as a way to plan ahead. I have auto withdrawals for RRSP, RESP, and stock purchase plans at work. I don’t ever really ‘see’ the money in my bank accounts, each payday a portion of it is gone and locked away where I can’t touch it.

Perfect.

I like to think of the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card as a similar sort of automatic reward system on things I use every week.

When I signed up for the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card last month, I selected 2 categories to get 2% Money-Back on my purchases.

You can choose from grocery, restaurants, gas, recurring bill payments, drug store, entertainment, hotel-motel, furniture, home improvement, or public transport and parking.

I stuck to the basics: gas and groceries for my money back categories.

I had planned on spending $120 a month on gas and $500 a month on groceries. My first four weeks saw me only spend $90 on gas, but my grocery bill ballooned to $580 (prepping for a big Thanksgiving feast will do that to a budget). My utility bills are usual at $250.

But that’s okay, with 2% money back on my Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, my little Thanksgiving feast is turning into more money in my pocket. Except, as part of the launch promotion of double money back, I’m earning 4%!  So in the first four weeks my budget says I’ve earned nearly $40 money back!

Since I have a Tangerine savings account, I can have this money deposited right into my savings account and get even more money back. Forced savings, people. It works!

By the time Christmas rolls around, I’m going to have a nice little chunk in there to reward myself for at least trying to work a budget. My money back will turn into hiking poles for my kids at Christmas!

How will you spend your money back? Make a budget, do some hypothetical calculations and Tangerine could make it all come true. Check out the details below:

CONTEST

Go ahead, do the math on your own purchases. Pick your 2% categories, budget what you spend each week or month on those things, and then sit back and collect your money back rewards. It’s a chance to follow along on my journey and get your own reward.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MONIQUE SHUELL OF SCARBOROUGH, ONT

FOR WINNING THE CONTEST!

As I go along my budget journey with Tangerine, you can take your own and .. have a chance to get your own money back reward.

1. In the comments, pick your two 2% bonus money back categories (from  grocery, restaurants, gas, recurring bill payments, drug store, entertainment, hotel-motel, furniture, home improvement, or public transport and parking).
2. Tell me what you spend on each between now and Christmas (3 months) and figure out what your 2% money back rewards would be from Tangerine.
3. Imagine what kind of great Christmas treat you’d like to spend that cash on
4. Tangerine just might make it happen when they pick one reader and give them DOUBLE money back!

Rules: Contest open to Canadian residents only. No purchase necessary.  One entry from the comments on the DadCAMP Tangerine campaign blog posts will be chosen at random to win double the money back as calculated by their budget in the comments. Void where prohibited. Contest deadline 12:00a MST November 18, 2016. Cash prize to be deposited to a Tangerine savings account created in your name. Account is not required to be maintained after cash withdrawal.

Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Tangerine.

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