SmartyPig®

There's something very personal and very optimistic about setting a financial goal using SmartyPig (or any goal for that matter), whether it be a weekend vacation, presents for holidays, an emergency saving account or the down payment on a new home. No matter the size, the goal belongs to you. You created it for a reason - to get from here to there without the heavy burden of debt.

We're sincerely touched to read testimonials and receive phone calls from SmartyPig users letting us know just how the site has positively affected their lives. From the parent overjoyed that their child finally understands the importance of saving money, to the soldier overseas who cannot wait to get home, to the happy just-married couple who are starting life in better financial shape than they'd hoped, these stories are more than uplifting and make us strive to make SmartyPig everything it can be.

Recently, though, one story we read was of particular interest to us. A gentleman named Sam Mahlstadt has started using SmartyPig to change not only his life but potentially the lives of many others. Recently married, Sam and his wife moved halfway across the country to Winston Salem, North Carolina to ensure that his goal becomes a reality.

See, Sam is helping to build a church in his community and he knew that SmartyPig and its use of social media could help him reach his goal faster. Sam said that rather than a "big ask" of reaching out just once to friends and family for money, he could link his goal to the social media sites he frequents and to his blog where others could continue to read about and potentially contribute to his goal.

Sam, like many of our users, has an uphill battle. But we don't set goals that are easy. We set goals to make our lives better, to push ourselves. Sam's goal will affect many for years and years to come because he has been able to participate in something that he values greatly: the helping of others. Understanding that it is always easier to accomplish something when there's a common cause is the secret to our social way to save. Hearing a story like Sam's, well, that makes it all the more sweet.