Gamification — the practice of adding in game-like elements into everyday tasks or education — isn’t a novel idea. But one BTS fan is making waves online after she used a Monopoly-inspired savings challenge to bank over $1,600 in just over a year to be able to see the group in concert.
TikTok user mercedes.pomerleau released a video showcasing her savings after over a year of saving using the “saveopoly challenge,” to get ready for the popular K-pop band BTS’ “OT7 comeback,” she says in the video.
The video currently has over 443,000 views and over 50,000 likes. People are clearly receptive to the idea of using a Monopoly-based savings game to help them reach their financial goals, especially for a short term goal like snagging optimal seats for a live show.
It might be fun at first glance, but is it effective?
How the ‘saveopoly challenge’ works
In a previous video from over a year prior, mercedes.pomerleau started her challenge with a BTS-themed savings box and a hand-drawn saveopoly board.
Her board resembles a standard Monopoly board with 40 spaces. The spaces for properties, railroads, GO, jail and parking locations all have dollar values of the player’s choosing. The chance and community chest spots have special rules such as “Roll a dice and multiply by 10” or prompt the player to roll another die for additional steps.
She would roll a dice every two weeks — to match her pay periods — and move her token the same amount of spaces.
Each time she landed on a spot she has to save the amount shown. For the community chest and chance locations, she would follow the instructions given and then save that amount. She kept a running log of her savings each time she rolled a dice.
Just as in the standard Monopoly game, certain properties near the beginning had lower values such as $30 or $50. In contrast, properties worth the most in the traditional game located near the end of the board prompted her to save $150 if she landed on them.
A benefit to using the saveopoly challenge is that you can create a board to uniquely fit your savings goals. Or, you can find a template online through stores like Etsy or use a template from Pinterest to get you started. Some variations include simpler community chest or chance rules, or adding in rules for utilities or railroad locations. The possibilities are essentially endless.
Should you try rolling the dice to save?
The evidence is clear that the saveopoly challenge worked for this TikTok user; Bear in mind, she admitted to putting some of her Christmas and birthday money into her savings, slightly skewing her results.
That said, the idea of creating a bi-weekly or weekly game to help you save is beneficial. Research from the Bayes Business School at City St. George’s University of London found that consumers that use “gamifying apps” to stow away money were able to save 20% more. Though the saveopoly challenge doesn’t necessarily involve an app, it does involve similar gamification elements that make saving money feel less like a chore and much like a conquest.
The challenge is also a helpful starting point for people new to saving. It gives you a simple roadmap to stick to with small, fun and incremental steps.
However, it’s important to note that using any sort of financial challenge includes creating a fair savings plan and keeping track of it every time you save. If you are saving for a large purchase, such as a home, this challenge might not work the best given its elements of randomness, but you can make changes to limit that.
While this game was used to save for concert tickets, it can be easily adjusted to save for smaller or larger purchases — simply increase or decrease the average dollar amount on each location to match your goals.
You can use a tool like a savings calculator to help you create some guidelines; If you’re looking for a more traditional spot to place your money, try a high-interest savings account.
So long as you have a robust savings plan in place and aren’t leaving your financial goals up to chance (pun intended), this Monopoly-inspired savings challenge is a fun way to get you into the habit of putting away money and not spending it. Feeling skeptical? Maybe you should try rolling the dice.
Sources
1. TikTok: mercedes.pomerleau (Apr 22, 2025)
2. Bayes Business School: Turning long-term savings goals into a game can increase consumer financial well-being (Jan 12, 2022)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
