52 Week Money Challenge Free Printable.
There are a lot of different ways to save money. But perhaps one of the most fun ways to approach saving is with a challenge! Challenging yourself to save more and more as the year goes on is very motivating to many people, and a great way to put aside $1,000+ in your savings/emergency fund by the end of the year. So if you’ve struggled with saving before, here’s how toSave Money with the 52 Week Money Saving Challenge! Free printable included!
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While this challenge is designed to be started in January, if you’re coming across this later in the year, that’s okay. Just add up the amount from the weeks you missed, put that into savings, then go ahead with the challenge as normal. That’s why the challenge starts with the smallest amounts first!
Save Money with the 52 Week Money Saving Challenge
I wish I could say that I invented the 52 week money saving challenge, but I didn’t. I actually don’t know who created it, but I think it started around 2012/2013, or at least that’s when it became popular online. And unlike some money saving trends, the 52 week challenge has stayed strong across the years, with newcomers and old challengers doing it every year since its creation. That’s because the challenge works! It takes away the stress of figuring out how much to save and when to set it aside, and tells you exactly what to do and when.
But that doesn’t mean you have to stick strictly to the challenge’s rules. If you get paid every other week, it’s fine to combine the suggested savings for two weeks and deposit your savings twice a month instead of every week. You could even combine the savings for a whole month into one big monthly savings deposit. Whatever works for you and your budget. But if you know it’s likely you’ll spend the money on non-necessities if you have it on hand, it’d be best to put it into savings every week, just to keep it safe.
There are some variations on this challenge out there. Some use higher weekly amounts, allowing you to save more throughout the year. But I think a +$1 saving system is easier if you’re new to saving, or are on a tight budget. I’ve also seen some challenges arranged in the reverse order, with the highest savings at the start of the year. But my feeling with that is that at the start of the year, people are more likely to have tight budgets as a result of the holidays, so are more likely to give up on the challenge faster. Also, it’s less encouraging to put less away as the year goes on, because the amount you’ll see in your savings will go up less and less. But those are personal preferences, because really, there’s no wrong way to save!
52 Week Money Saving Challenge Tips
Here are my tips on how to best succeed with the 52 week money saving challenge:
First, I would put the money away as soon as you get paid. If you get paid on an irregular schedule or every 2 weeks, pick a day to be savings day, like every Friday. Since the savings amounts are always changing, you won’t be able to set up an automatic deposit for the challenge, you’ll have to transfer the money manually.
Second, I suggest putting the savings in an actual savings account or money market account. Those types of accounts have a limit on withdrawls (6 per month). If you put the money in a checking account you can take it out without any limits, but a savings/money market account’s limits will (hopefully) make you think twice before dipping into your savings. Savings/money market accounts also tend to have better interest rates than checking accounts, so your money will grow a bit more in them.
Lastly, I’d have a goal for this money. That way when the year is over, you won’t just transfer it into checking and use it on something non-essential. Putting it into your emergency fund is never a bad idea, or you could use it as a sinking fund for something you’ll need to buy the following year. Or just use the money to pay down debt (I have a printable worksheet for that, too!).
Download Your 52 Week Money Saving Challenge Free Printable Here
If you complete this challenge you’ll have a little over $1,300 set aside, which is a good sum of money! Good luck!
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Have you ever completed the 52 week money saving challenge before?
You might also be interested in: 25 Free Budgeting Printables
FAQs
There are no complicated rules to remember. Week 1, you save $1.00. Week 2 you save $2.00, and it continues through the year, adding one more dollar to each week's savings goal. By Week 52, you'll set aside $52.00, which will bring the year's total savings to $1,378!
Does the 52-week money challenge work? ›
But know that this savings plan is effective, and it can help you sock away more than a thousand dollars in a year — $1,378 to be exact. You could build up even more if you put the funds in a high-yield savings account. Doing the challenge takes commitment, but it's easy to start.
How can I save $5000 with the 52-week money challenge? ›
Here are a few more ways to save $5,000 by the end of 2023:
- Save $96.16 every week.
- Save $192.31 every two weeks.
- Save $416.67 every month.
- Save $1,250 every quarter.
- Save $2,500 every six months.
You can save over $5,000 in just over three months with the 100 envelope challenge. It works like this: Gather 100 envelopes and number them from 1 to 100. Each day, fill up one envelope with the amount of cash corresponding to the number on the envelope. You can fill up the envelopes in order or pick them at random.
How much is $1 dollar a day for a year? ›
If you saved $1 a day for a year, do you know how much money you'd have? Roughly $30,000. This is totally 100% true.
What if I save $100 every 2 weeks for a year? ›
If you save $100 every two weeks for a year, you will have a total of $2,600 [1]. Here's the breakdown: There are 52 weeks in a year, and if you save every two weeks, you will save 26 times in a year. Each time you save $100, you will accumulate a total of $2,600 over the course of the year.
How much is a penny a day for a year? ›
By the end of a 365 challenge, you will have saved over $667.00! For the very first day, you have to save 1 penny in a specific jar that you assign to your Penny Challenge. On the second day, you have to put two pennies in the same jar, and so on.
How much is $1 a week for a year? ›
All you do is start with $1 in Week One. Then every week after that you add $1 to the amount you're saving for the week. That's it! If you do this, you'll have a cool $1,378 extra in one year's time!
How can I save $500 in 30 days? ›
For something as short-term as this, it may be easier to set smaller, daily goals in order to make saving a part of your daily routine. In order to save $500 in 30 days, you would roughly need to save $17 per day, and this can be a combination of cutting back on spending and making extra money.
How to save $5000 in 3 months with 100 envelopes? ›
The 100-envelope challenge is pretty straightforward: You take 100 envelopes, number each of them and then save the corresponding dollar amount in each envelope. For instance, you put $1 in “Envelope 1,” $2 in “Envelope 2,” and so on. By the end of 100 days, you'll have saved $5,050.
The easiest way to do this is by setting monthly savings goals. To save $10,000 in a year, you'll need to save about $833 each month, or around $192 per week. You can look through your budget for ways to reallocate more of your money toward savings.
What is the $3 a week savings challenge? ›
The plan is refreshingly easy, even for the math-challenged: set aside $3 in the first week and put it into a savings account. Then add another $3 each week after, so $6 is saved in week two, $9 in week three, and so on. By week 26, when the final deposit of $78 is made, the savings will total $1,053.
What is the $5 000 in 3 months challenge? ›
The 100-envelope challenge is a way to gamify saving money. Each day for 100 days, you'll set aside a predetermined dollar amount in different envelopes. After just over 3 months, you could have more than $5,000 saved.
How to save $5000 in 3 months? ›
How to Save $5000 in 3 Months [2024]
- Create a Budget and Plan.
- Pick up a Side Hustle.
- Sell Things Around Your Home.
- Refinance Debts.
- Cut Unnecessary Expenses.
- Reduce Living Expenses.
- Try an Envelope Savings Challenge.
- Use Cash Back Apps.
The idea behind this challenge is to divide your savings goal into 100 parts and save a set amount each day for 100 days. To get started and do this the analog way, you will need 100 envelopes, a pen, and a container to store your envelopes.
How to calculate 52 week change? ›
Current Price Relative to 52-Week Range
Suppose over the last year that a stock has traded as high as $100, as low as $50 and is currently trading at $70. This means the stock is trading 30% below its 52-week high (1-(70/100) = 0.30 or 30%) and 40% above its 52-week low ((70/50) – 1 = 0.40 or 40%).
How much money should you have at the end of the 52 week challenge? ›
You'll end the challenge with over $1,300 saved If you successfully complete the 52-week money challenge, you'll have $1,378 set aside. You may have that earmarked for a specific financial goal —or you may choose to put it in a high-yield savings account as the start of emergency savings, if you don't already have one.
How much do you save in the 52 envelope challenge? ›
What is the 52 week money challenge? The 52 week money challenge is designed to help you save significant money over a year. It involves saving a small amount, usually £1 per week, and increasing the amount by £1 each week. By the end of the challenge, you'll have saved a total of £1,378.
