In February 2019 I took part in a challenge to build an emergency fund of £500. I was part of a Facebook group and the creator provided us with information and instructions as to what to do. I had already started to build an emergency fund and thought this was a good opportunity to accelerate my results and move me closer to my ultimate goal of saving six months worth of living expenses.

 

To tell you the truth I didn’t believe that I could raise £500  just from finding money in my home.

In fact I raised £474.51. Not 500 pounds but I think close enough.

I want to share with you what I did to raise that money and it doesn’t matter where you start from. It can act as a kick start to you raising your own emergency fund. 

So how do you get started looking for hidden treasure in your home?

Well you’re going to do exactly that – you’re going to start looking through your home collecting up any money or loose change that you find. You’re going to put this cash in one place. And this money is going to be the starter of your emergency fund. 

The idea is that you put this money into a savings account. Please do not put it in your current account or any account that you regularly go into to withdraw money. This absolutely must be a separate savings account.

Have you ever been sitting on your sofa and got up and maybe you had some loose change in your pocket and they all fell out? You manage to retrieve some but possibly not all because they have fallen in between the cushions.  You decide to leave it until another time. Well guess what? If you’ve done that several times it is likely you have a growing treasure of money hidden in the nooks and crannies of your sofa, as well maybe other stuff. 

So that’s what this activity is all about. It is about going through your home and looking in those places, those forgotten places where money has either been put away for safekeeping, or fallen out of your pocket, purse, wallet or bag etc.

The most helpful way that I thought to help you do this exercise is to go room by room and give you an idea of where to look for money.

Where to look for this hidden or forgotten money.

This is where you need a pen and paper or of course you can use a mobile device, whatever is your preference. You are going to create a checklist and as you go through each room you’re just going to check off each area as you look in those places. If you find money in any of those places you may want to record the amount next to where you found it. But that’s up to you.

Living Room

So let’s start with the living room. Under the sofa, under the cushions on the sofa or chair, the mantlepiece, behind any pictures on the mantelpiece, bookshelves, under the rug even on the window ledge behind the curtain. Now depending on what you have in your living room there may be other items in there where money could be stashed.

In my living room I’ve got one of those footstool things that you can lift it up and I’ve got uh I think I’ve got DVD’s stored in there. If you have something similar you need to take all the DVD’s out and see if there’s any coins that have been hidden in the corners.

Dining room

Bookshelves, drawers, under the rug. I used to have a piano in my dining room and I stored things on top of it. If you have something like that make sure you check on the top too.

Kitchen

Cupboards , drawers , washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, bookshelves, microwave, pantry, bread bin, window sill, fridge, freezer. Pull things out. Look behind, look underneath and look on top. 

Hallway

Any small cupboards with drawers that you drop your keys in maybe.  You just don’t know what’s fallen out of your pocket and rolled into a corner.

Bedrooms

Under the bed, in the bed, wardrobe, drawers, clothes, pockets in clothes, coats, jackets, dresses, jeans, trousers, cardigans, shorts. Any item of clothing. Any bags or containers with clothes that you have put away because they no longer fit you or it’s not the season.

I have found money in clothes that I’ve been packing to take to the charity shop. They would have been either in the loft or under my bed for months and months. Also handbags, purses, wallets, coin jars, piggy banks, jewelry box, rucksack, luggage et cetera.

Office

Desk drawers, pen caddy, if that’s what you call it,  briefcase, laptop bag.

Car

Now your house also includes your car. Surprise surprise. So go out to the car glove compartment , under the rugs, down in between the seats and the boot.

Garage/Shed

Toolbox, storage boxes,  sports bag, all that tut.

Some money will be in the form of coins, notes and  cheques. You may need to check the date on your cheques to ensure they are still cashable. There is the travel money that you didn’t spend on your last trip abroad and was kept in case you returned to that country. How long ago was that?  

That reminds me, I still have some euros in a mug in my wardrobe. I decided that I was going to hold onto them because I thought I would be traveling abroad at some point. It is now 2023 and the last time I traveled abroad was 2015. Believe it or not I am planning a trip abroad later this year so I may just hold on to them for now. If I don’t make that trip it would be better off in my emergency fund.

Hopefully this has given you an idea of where you can look to find hidden treasure in your home.

So what is your next step?

  1. I suggest you create a checklist. To help you download my Find Money In Your Home Checklist here.
  2. Collect all the money in one place.
  3. Put the money in a separate savings account.