This post isn’t about scoring one big $500 win today, but rather, it’s about taking the next hour to harness the cumulative power of small victories.

Big wins often steal the spotlight, especially during desperate times when we dream for a miraculous windfall to sweep away all of our troubles. However, in reality, wishful thinking often falls short of what is needed in these moments.

Sometimes, the successes we need are small victories and tiny triumphs.

When I first started these savings challenges, I had a low income and more debt than savings. With the odds against me, I found solace and motivation in the small wins – those seemingly insignificant moments when I managed to save a few dollars or trimmed a bit off my monthly expenses.

At first glance, saving a mere $2.99 on a bill might not seem like cause for celebration. Yet, during those early days of financial struggle, it was this small victory that kept me going. Each time I successfully shaved off a few dollars from my expenses, it ignited a spark of momentum within me, propelling me to tackle the next challenge with renewed vigor.

My initial savings challenge was the pivotal moment when I learned this invaluable lesson. During this challenge, I set out to dedicate one hour to tangible savings—no elaborate plans or “what ifs,” just immediate action. I was in dire need of some kind of positive results.

My goal was clear: either eliminate $500 in expenses or deposit that cash into my savings. Given my circumstances, I focused on reducing my monthly bills with minimal effort but maximum impact.

Monthly bills were a priority because I understood that every cost I trimmed or eliminated would yield savings month after month. With time, no matter how much or how little those savings, I would eventually achieve my goal.

It might sound funny, but my first action was to cancel a subscription that I hadn’t used in over a year, but kept meaning to cancel. I never got around to it before the next billing cycle because it was always just one of those “$2.99 — I have more important things to do, I’ll get to it next month” thoughts. Sometimes, that’s how they get you. 

Saving a mere $2.99 may seem laughable, but with just a few clicks of a mouse to cancel, I was effectively putting an extra $35.88 back in my pocket for the entire year. I realized, these seemingly negligible amounts, combined with others, added up significantly over time.

This initial success spurred me on to achieve my $500 savings target, prompting me to delve deeper into my bills. At this point, I only had fifty-five minutes to spare before the challenge was up. I needed to stay focused on bills with internet options and no customer service to put me on hold.

Within just forty-five minutes, I shopped around for better vehicle insurance rates and carefully reviewed my cell phone bill, resulting in an additional monthly savings of $78.44. Although it took an additional fifty minutes on hold to cancel my previous insurance policy, I successfully achieved my $500 savings goal, ultimately saving a substantial $977.16 over the course of one year.

This challenge taught me the invaluable lesson that significant savings can often stem from the smallest of actions. By dedicating just one hour to scrutinizing my bills, I not only achieved my initial savings target but surpassed it — even though it took me a bit longer than I originally intended.

This challenge marked the inception of my Bill Buster Challenge, a weekly half an hour time slot dedicated to identifying opportunities to trim expenses from my monthly bills, with the ultimate aim of channeling those savings into reducing debt or expanding my emergency fund every month.

Who would have thought that simply canceling a $2.99 subscription fee, a task I had been procrastinating on for over a year, would provide the motivation I needed to accomplish so much more?

So, next time you’re faced with a financial challenge, remember that every minute counts, and every small win adds up. These incremental victories, when combined with others, pave the way for significant achievements on the road to financial empowerment.