There are no secrets to saving money

In 2017, I published a post with a glorious title: The secret to saving money is to trick yourself into being poor. Traffic-wise, it was one of my best posts of the year. I submitted the post to the Rockstar Rumble because it was a piece that I was (and am) proud of. To my delight, I made it through Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3. Today, my post is up in Round 4. I’m thrilled to have gotten this far, but I have a confession to make: I really, really hate that post title. [Update: Round 4 is over, and Cash Fasting didn’t win – I’m happy to have made it this far!]

What’s so bad about the title?

So here’s the title:

The secret to saving money is to trick yourself into being poor

Here’s what I don’t like about it:

The SECRET to saving money is to trick yourself into BEING POOR

Let’s break this down.

1. Secret. There are no secrets to saving money. You put the money away towards your future self, or you don’t. It’s as simple as that. Of course, there are tips and strategies on how to make this work for everyone, but it’s absolutely no secret. This isn’t some code that only the enlightened few can crack. Whether you use automated savings withdrawals, an envelope system, a piggy bank, or anything else, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is capable of saving money.
2. Being poor. This one makes me cringe. It’s misleading about what it means to be poor. You can’t mimic the struggles of being poor by cutting out a large portion of your paycheck. The assumption that poorness is directly correlated with income is just as ridiculous. I had no such intentions when I wrote the title, but I can’t help but see it now. Being able to put away a sizable chunk of every paycheck is a financial privilege. Automating this process forces me to live on a smaller income, but this decreased income is still well above the poverty line, and I have below-average living costs in an expensive city. I am not poor, nor do I truly know what it is like to be poor.

What would’ve been a better title?

Live on less: tips to make your paycheck work harder for you

Or even

Trick yourself into saving money – create a wealthier you

They don’t ‘flow’ as well as the original title, but they better reflect the content of the post. I chose the original title because it sounded catchy; it still does. However, a post on bank automation is no secret, nor is it a way to make yourself poor.

For posterity, I’m leaving the post as is. It’s a bad title, but a good reminder for me to always improve my writing. Bad title aside, if you think that bank automation is a great way to save money, consider voting for “Trick” in Rockstar Rumble Round 4, and check out all the other great posts that have been highlighted in the Rockstar Rumble. [Update: Round 4 is over, thanks for the support!]