I have a big goal: to buy a home worth $400,000. This might sound unrealistic as it is far from my current means, but it’s the direction I want to move toward. Building something little by little is how I stay motivated.
I strongly believe that even the smallest steps toward a goal can build into something amazing. Doing a little for your goals today can turn into big achievements over time.
Between March 1-10 I already saved 254.54 lei = $58.18 and now I’m continuing this journey. I don’t know how long it will take, but I want to document the process through simple posts and short articles that follow my progress.
I live in Romania, where the currency is RON (Romanian leu). My savings are kept in RON accounts because they offer better interest rates. For transparency, I track the savings in lei, but also convert them to USD using the daily exchange rate. This means you might see small variations in the dollar value even when the amount in lei stays the same.
For this project, I count money that comes from small extra sources. This includes things like selling items on Vinted, returning bottles and cans for recycling, or even small amounts of interest. I also include money saved through discounts or by choosing more affordable alternatives.
This approach helps me stay mindful about spending and shopping. At the same time, it encourages decluttering, since selling items we no longer use can also contribute to the goal.
March 11
There was an issue with my last groceries order, they didn’t send one of the products. I received a voucher for a slightly higher amount than the missing item, so I added the difference to my savings. A lot of people would let this slip, but it only took a couple of minutes to report the issue and resolve it calmly, recover my money for the product and get a little extra. I also received a small interest payment. I discovered an error in my last calculation, I added here the difference from yesterday.
- 2.21 lei – shopping error correction
- 0.02 lei – interest
- 13.00 lei – previous calculation correction
TOTAL: 269.77 lei = $61.41
March 12
I received a gift for Dragobete, Mărțișor (March 1), and International Women’s Day (March 8). also saved money on groceries by buying discounted items and received a small daily interest.
- 150.00 lei – gift
- 31.08 – shopping discounts
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 450.87 lei = $102.08
March 13
I did some grocery shopping today and got lots of products on discount. I also got a bonus with my shopping, a can of juice, I added it’s value here. I returned bottles and cans and received the money, plus a small interest payment.
- 45.15 lei – shopping discounts
- 5.00 lei – bonus product
- 8.00 lei – returning bottles and cans
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 509.04 lei = $115.62
March 14
No savings today, but I got a small interest on my daily savings deposit.
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 509.06 lei = $115.62
March 15
I sold a backpack on Vinted, which was a nice surprise! But I made an unnecessary purchase, so I deducted that money from my savings. I also got a small interest on my daily savings account.
- 25.00 lei – Vinted sale (Reach Out backpack – Crivit)
- – 54.97 lei – unnecessary expense
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 479.11lei = $108.82
March 16
Another Vinted sale, so happy! I also saved money on groceries through discounts and received a bonus drink, I added it’s value here, along with the daily interest.
- 10.50 lei – Vinted sale (a pair of grey jeans Esmara size 40)
- 21.61 lei – shopping discounts
- 14.59 lei – bonus product
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 525.83 lei = $119.43
March 17
No savings today, but I got a small interest on my daily savings deposit.
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 525.85 lei = $119.44
March 18
Today I had significant savings from grocery shopping, especially a 70% discount on formula. I also received bonus drinks, returned bottles, and added the small daily interest.
- 114.05 lei – shopping discounts (mostly formula discount)
- 17.99 lei – bonus products
- 11.50 lei – returning bottles and cans
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 669.41 lei = $152.05
March 19
Two previous grocery orders had missing items, and I received vouchers slightly higher than their value. I added the difference to my savings. I also benefited from shopping discounts and received the daily interest.
- 15.22 lei – shopping error corrections
- 46.49 lei – shopping discounts
- 0.02 lei – interest
TOTAL: 731.14 lei = $166.07
March 20
I finally got to a point where I can open a flexible term deposit, here I can continue adding money and earn 4.8% annual interest, compared to 2.5% on the daily savings account. From now on, I won’t track daily interest in these updates. Instead, I’ll share the accumulated interest every 6 months. I also saved money through discounts and received a bonus product.
- 25.84 lei – shopping discounts
- 19.99 lei – bonus product
TOTAL: 776.97 lei = $176.86
Overall, with $176.86 saved out of my $400,000 goal, I’ve reached 0.044% progress.
It’s clear that reaching such a large goal won’t happen overnight. Small discounts and occasional sales are just tiny drops in a very big ocean.
But these small steps still matter. They build saving habits, encourage creativity, reduce waste, and strengthen a mindset focused on progress.
I’m also working on several projects that don’t generate income yet, but hopefully will in the future.
For now, I’m simply happy to see that I have $176.86 more than I had before. And that’s worth celebrating.
This is just the beginning.
If you’d like to support my journey and help me reach this goal, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/lifegamificationjournal
Life Gamification Journal is a project by My Everyday Projects.
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