If you're trying to build up your savings, you may be wondering where it's best to stash your cash – in a piggy bank or in a savings account.
The best choice depends on what works for you. Do you need to keep your money harder to access, or does seeing it accumulate give you an incentive to keep saving?
The following are some advantages of piggy banks versus savings accounts, so you can choose the one that works best for you:
Piggy bank
It allows you to save a little at a time.
A piggy bank can help break your goal down into manageable amounts, according to a financial planner writing for USA Today. He says it's a good reminder of the value of saving consistently. When broken down into small daily goals, even a large purchase, trip or other expense seems much more achievable, he says.
It reinforces the idea of saving.
A piggy bank lets you literally see your savings grow. This is not only a good lesson for kids, but it also helps remind adults to "always be saving," according to Great Midwest Bank.
It's painless and simple.
Clark.com's Michael Timmerman touts the "$5 and change savings challenge" that encourages participants to stash their $5 bills and change in a piggy bank. He likes its simplicity and the fact that you can easily customize it, saving $1 bills if you'd prefer.
You can make a game of it.
An editor at Get Rich Slowly started saving coins at home, and soon it became a game to see how much could be accumulated. The editor began altering purchases in order to get more change back, and in seven months, without any deprivation, the coins added up to $723.
Savings account
You can put your savings on autopilot.
You can pay yourself before you ever see your paycheck if you sign up to have a small percentage of each check diverted to your savings account. Bankrate says this "out of sight, out of mind" strategy works for many people.
Your money is safe.
A stash of money at home could be stolen or destroyed in a fire or other disaster. Money in a member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation bank is insured, according to Ally.
You'll earn interest on your money.
Savings account interest rates are at historic lows, Forbes says, but online banks tend to offer rates that are a little bit better than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. The site also says that several online banks have raised their rates in recent months.
It's harder to spend.
Money stashed at home is easy to raid, and even small amounts of cash for a pizza or coffee shop run can deplete your savings over time, according to Wise Bread. Since it takes a little more effort to access a savings account, and you're not as tempted to withdraw small amounts, it tends to accumulate faster.
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