Have you got loose change lying around at home, on your desk at the office – or sitting idly in a corner of your hand bag?

What could you do with that money if you started collecting it in one place? We don’t think much of the handful of dirhams in change left over after we’ve paid for a cup of coffee. But that seemingly small amount could add up to hundreds of dirhams at the end of a year.

To help put things into perspective, we’ve put together a few ideas on what you could do with your loose change if you got into the habit of saving a little bit everyday:

If you saved AED 2 per day

Put away as little as AED 2 a day and you could end up saving AED 730 at the end of the year. Here are some examples of what you could buy with that money:

Category Options Watch for
Travel & Stay
  • Get a one night stay for a couple at the Radisson Blu five star resort in Fujairah, starting from AED 700 or at the Rotana Hotel, Al Ain starting from AED 600.
  • Get a return ticket for one to Muscat (Oman) or Doha (Qatar) from Dubai starting from AED 600.
  • These prices are approximate. They may vary according to the dates you opt for and the provider you choose.
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking.
Entertainment
  • Take your family of four to watch the Dolphin and Seal show at the Dubai Dolphinarium for AED 400 (adult tickets priced at 120 per person and child tickets priced at AED 80 per person).
  • You can buy the Samsung HTE350K mini home theatre system at AED 499.
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking your family outing tickets.
  • Prices of electronics may be lower during sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Shopping
  • Gold prices vary on a daily basis, remember  to check the rate on the day you plan to purchase your jewelry. There is also a ‘making’ charge involved on top of that. [Read more in our article about Gold in the UAE]
  • Prices of mobile phones may be lower during sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Miscellaneous
  • Assuming a monthly spend of AED 500 on utility bills or petrol, you can fund one month’s electricity and water bill or get fuel for the whole month.
  • With lower utility and travel bills, you could fund more months.

If you saved AED 5 per day

If you save AED 5 every day, at the end of the year your savings could grow to a total of AED 1,825. Check out this list of things you could reward yourself with:

Category Options Watch for
Travel & Stay
  • Get a one night stay for a couple at the Shangri La Hotel in Dubai with the Burj Khalifa view, starting from AED 1,075.
  • Get a return ticket for one to Salalah (Oman), Istanbul (Turkey), Mumbai (India) from Dubai starting from AED 1,000.
  • These prices are approximate. They will vary according to the dates you opt for and the hotel/airline you choose.
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking.
Entertainment
  • Take your family of four for a day at the Wild Wadi Waterpark at AED 1,360 – this price is for the Wild Wadi Package which includes the general admission ticket, one towel, one small locker and a set meal at AED 340 per person.
  • You can buy the Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect Console 500GB  with the  Kinect Sports and the Forza Horizon Game AFE at AED 1,699.
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking your family outing tickets.
  • Prices of electronics may be lower during sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Shopping
  • Gold prices vary on a daily basis, remember  to check the rate on the day you plan to purchase your jewelry. There is also a ‘making’ charge involved. [Read more in our article about Gold in the UAE]
  • Prices of mobile phones may be lower during sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Miscellaneous
  • Assuming a monthly spend of AED 500 on utility bills or petrol, you can fund three month’s electricity and water bill or get fuel for three whole months.
  • With lower utility and travel bills, you could fund more months.

 If you save AED 10 per day

What if you pushed yourself a little further and increased your savings per day to AED 10? You would have collected a substantial AED 3,650 by the time the year is over. How can you splurge? We round up some of the options for you below:

Category Options Watch for
Travel & Stay
  • Get a one night stay at Atlantis, The Palm with breakfast and either lunch or dinner, unlimited access to Aquaventure Waterpark and the The Lost Chambers Aquarium and one session for your child at the Kids Club – starting from AED 2,400.
  • Get a return ticket for one to Rome (Italy), Mombasa (Kenya), Male (Maldives) from Dubai starting from AED 2,200.
  • These prices are approximate. They will vary according to the dates you opt for and the provider you choose.
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking.
Entertainment
  • Go for a session of skydiving with Skydive Dubai at AED 1,999 (with video and digital stills) or the Open Water scuba diving course of four days at AED 3,000.
  • You can buy the Samsung 46 inch HD Smart LED TV with 3D in AED 3,199. 
  • Be sure to check for deals and discounts at the time of booking your adventure package.
  • Prices of electronics may be lower d.uring sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Shopping
  • Gold prices vary on a daily basis, remember  to check the rate on the day you plan to purchase your jewelry. There is also a ‘making’ charge involved. [Read more in our article about Gold in the UAE]
  • Prices of mobile phones may be lower during sales and promotion periods such as GITEX and Dubai Shopping Festival.
Miscellaneous
  • Assuming a monthly spend of AED 500 on utility bills or petrol, you can fund seven month’s electricity and water bills or cover the cost of car fuel for several months.
  •  With lower utility and travel bills, you could fund more months.
  • Remember that fuel consumption and cost will vary depending on what car you drive and how often you drive it.

Teach your children to save

While you are saving a little bit every day, consider getting your children involved and make it a family activity. This way, not only could your children learn the benefits of saving money early on, they would also be able to buy their own toys and gadgets with their savings!

[Related: 10 ways to teach your kids financial literacy]