52 Week Money Saving Challenge (2024)

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Are you familiar with the 52 Week Money Saving Challenge? I like the idea of a savings challenge, but I am not 100% on board with how it is set up. The typical plan challenges you to save $1 the first week, $2 the second week…until you save $52 the last week of the year. It’s a simple way to save an additional $1,378 in 52 weeks, but I do see how this can be a struggle when December rolls around.

Compare what you are saving the first 4 weeks of the year to the last 4 weeks of the year.

During the first 4 weeks, you save a total of $10. Average: $2.50 per week.
During the last 4 weeks, you save a total of $202. Average: $50.50 per week.

Saving $2.50 per week is probably not a huge struggle. $50.50 per week may be harder to accomplish, especially considering that this takes place in December.

I created a 52-Week Money Saving Challenge Printable back in 2014. The original printable was for 2015, but now I have an undated version for you to use any year.You can start this challenge at any point throughout the year.

The original 52-Week Money Saving Challenge ($1 per week, $2 per week, etc.) results in a savings of $1,378 in a year. You will still end up saving $1,378 with this updated challenge, but it will be easier to save when you spread it out.

If you do decide to start this challenge in January, this schedule will be much easier as you will be set up to save the least amount in December. You will save $110 during each 4-week cycle, with an exception of the last 4 weeks of the year. If money is tight in December, you will feel relief! This schedule asks you to save only $58 during the last 4 weeks. You will only have to set aside $8 in your budget to save the last week of the year. $8 is much easier than $52!

FREE Printable:52 Week Money Saving Challenge

I am also including the reverse version of the original challenge. Save $52 the first week, $51 the second week…until you save $1 the last week. Pick the schedule that works best for you.

FREE Printable:52 Week Money Saving Challenge_Reverse

Why are you saving? What is your goal?

Do you want to track your habits in 2024? See below for a few resources to help you track your habits:

Monthly Habit Tracker: This post includes a free monthly habit tracker PDF.

Bundle of 20+ Habit Tracker PDFs: Because I realize not everyone tracks their habits in the same way, I just created a Habit Tracker Printable Bundle. It contains over 20 pages so you can find the tracker that works for you. Some trackers have a weekly focus and some have a monthly focus. Some include both. There is also be a habit tracker specific for tracking sleep.Work through and try more than one printable until you find the one that works best for you.Get the NEW Habit Tracker Bundle here!

Habit Tracker Spreadsheet: I am excited to share my Habit Tracker Spreadsheet with you.One of the reasons I’m so excited about the spreadsheet is that you get to see the word “Success” pop up if you complete your habit your goal number of days.

There is a column where you write in your success criteria (because not all habits will have the goal of 7 days per week). Once you input the right number of “X”s during the week, a green “Success” will magically pop up! (OK…it’s just a little formula I wrote.)

I included directions in the spreadsheet, but I would love to know if you think something is confusing.

CLICK HEREto get your Habit Tracker Spreadsheet

FAQs

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.

Learn More ›

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.

Read On ›

How to save $5 000 with the 52-week money challenge? ›

Save $192.31 every two weeks. Save $416.67 every month. Save $1,250 every quarter. Save $2,500 every six months.

Read On ›

How much money is saved with the 100 envelope challenge? ›

After completing the 100 envelope challenge, you'll have saved $5,050. Each envelope will have a certain amount of cash, from 1 to 100. When you add all the envelopes together — $100 + $99 + 98 + $97, and so on, all the way down to $1 — the total amount comes out to $5,050.

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How much is $1 dollar a day for a year? ›

The answer to that question depends on interest rates or rates of return. With no interest involved, putting one dollar a day into a bank account (or a jar at home) will see you end up with $365 in a year. Multiply that amount by 30 years and you'll end up with $10,950.

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How much money will you save with the 52 week challenge? ›

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!

How much to save $10,000 in 3 months? ›

Setting realistic savings goals is essential to ensure that you don't set yourself up for failure. One way to do this is by breaking down your target amount into smaller milestones. For example, if you aim to save $10,000 in three months, you can divide it into monthly targets of $3,333.

Keep Reading ›

What is the 52 week method? ›

The idea is to begin by saving a small amount of money, increasing the amount saved each week until the end of 52 weeks. One of the most popular ways is to start by saving $1 in the first week, and increasing the savings amount by $1 each subsequent week.

Get More Info Here ›

How do you do the 1 to 52 week savings challenge? ›

With this challenge, you save weekly rather than daily. And this amount goes up incrementally. Essentially, you save £1 for each week you are on in the year. So week one = £1 and week 52 = £52.

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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.

Tell Me More ›

What is the $100 in 30 days challenge? ›

The goal of the Challenge is simple: save $100 in a 30-day time period through a series of gradually increasing deposits. November has 30 days so every day is a savings day. As shown in the picture below, daily savings deposits start at $1 a day for five days followed by $2, $3, and $4 each for five days.