I recently discovered this genius Japanese saving method and instantly started my own experiment!
つもり預金 tsumori yokin literally means “intended-deposit” → You save the money you were planning to spend on something.
The grammar is super simple: [plain verb] + つもりだったお金を貯金する → “I put aside the money I was going to spend on XXX”
Examples:
☕ 来週からカフェのコーヒーを我慢 (がまん)する。
週3回、500円のコーヒー → 月6,000円、年72,000円の貯金！
→ Skip a 500-yen coffee 3 times a week = 6,000 yen saved per month → 72,000 yen per year!
🍱 外食を控えるつもり。月2回、2,000円の外食を我慢 → 月4,000円、年48,000円貯まる！
→ Skip 2,000 yen eating out 2 times a month = 4,000 yen/month → 48,000 yen/year
🛍 衝動買いをやめる (しょうどうがいをやめる) : 3,000円の服を買うつもりだったのを我慢 → その分を貯金！
→ Skip impulse purchases → Resist buying that 3,000-yen piece of clothing you were planning to get → put that exact amount into savings instead! 💸✨
For example, I personally really like to buy merch T-shirts when I go live concerts of the bands I like, but I almost never wear them later. So, I was struggling with myself and my desire to buy another T-shirt at the Epica concert in Istanbul the other day (around 30 euros). But the I remembered about “tsumori yokin!” and decided to transfer that exact amount to savings😂
Real-life mini-victories so far:
- Didn’t buy that cute stationery → +8 euro
- Skipped the extra dessert → +6 euro
Rule #1: Transfer the money immediately (to a separate account or app), otherwise it magically disappears into daily spending.
Small intentions → surprisingly big results!
What are you ready to “not buy” this month for your own tsumori yokin challenge? Tell me in the comments — let’s motivate each other! 👇💪