The Found Money Challenge: stop letting savings disappear at checkout

Okay, full disclosure: I made this one up.

Not because the world desperately needed another savings challenge, but because I am genuinely obsessed with stopping people accidentally overpaying for things. I am my father’s daughter and my father, to my knowledge, has never paid full price for anything – to my teenage self’s mortification when he started haggling in the supermarket.

The Found Money Challenge is simple. Before you buy anything non-essential, you take one extra step to check for cashback, discounts or vouchers. Whatever you save doesn’t get spent. It gets put straight into a savings pot.

You still buy the thing - but it gives you a little bit of margin on what you’ve mentally committed to the purchase that comes back to you in savings. If you’re someone who thinks you don’t have enough money to start saving, then this one is for you.

What the Found Money Challenge actually is

The rule is straightforward: if you get money off something you were already going to buy, you save the difference.

Found 10 percent cashback? That 10 percent goes into savings.

Used a voucher? Save the value of the discount.

Bought a discounted gift card? Save what you didn’t spend.

Why this works when traditional saving feels hard

Most people don’t struggle to find discounts. They struggle to do something sensible with the saving once they’ve found them, or to feel the saving is tangible enough to make it worth a little bit of extra admin (which in the moment can feel disproportionately arduous)

Discounts feel like “found money”, which makes them dangerously easy to waste. This challenge intercepts that moment and gives the saving a job.

You’re not being asked to spend less, your only challenge is to be curious for about 30 seconds before checkout. That’s a very achievable ask.

The psychology bit (or: why found money disappears so easily)

Behavioural psychology shows we mentally separate money into categories. Discounts and cashback usually fall into the “bonus” bucket, which means we’re far less careful with them.

By deliberately moving the saving into a separate pot, you turn a vague win into visible progress. Brains love visible progress.

It’s the same reason cashback you can see building feels more motivating than money you never notice.

How to do the challenge without turning it into admin

This only works if it stays light-touch.

Before you buy, do one or two quick checks for cashback or vouchers. After you buy, move the saving straight into a dedicated pot and leave it alone.

If you’re a thinkmoney SmartPlus customer, this fits neatly with using cashback and discounts already available through your account – you’re not adding steps, just being intentional with the outcome.

Make it sustainable, not smug

This isn’t about refusing to ever pay full price again. Sometimes convenience wins, and sometimes there genuinely isn’t a deal. That’s fine. But so often there is something you can save – whether it’s through free shipping, free dough balls for your table or actual cash back.

The challenge works because it’s directional, not perfect.

Apply it to discretionary spending, cap it if you need to, and batch transfers if daily saving feels annoying.

What the Found Money Challenge is (and isn’t)

This isn’t extreme couponing. It’s not a competition (although there is no harm in setting yourself a goal) it’s definitely not about shaming anyone for paying full price when life is busy. It’s about unlocking extra pounds that add up without you even noticing.

I made it up because I hate seeing shops charge a premium to frazzled people who don’t have the time and headspace to fully shop around, even if you end up with a tenner back to spend on a take away, we can call that a win.