10 of the Best 52 Week Money Challenges For You

How do you choose the best 52 week money challenge that is going to work for you?

I’ve got 10 year long money challenges to suit every budget from 0.50c a day right up to, well, a lot!

You might not earn enough to be aiming for a 10,000 dollar challenge but you can still test yourself and be successful with another savings challenge.

Find the right 52 week money challenge to suit you and your money and start today, tomorrow, next week or in the New Year.

Your money, your choice, let’s dive in.

Why do a money challenge?

Saving money over a long period of time can feel a little boring, and lead to you giving up a few weeks after you go started.

Call it a challenge and its a whole different ball game.

Now it’s a goal and you like goals, you want to succeed and prove to yourself and everyone else that you can do it.

What is the 52-week money challenge?

The 52-week money saving challenge is a budgeting strategy that helps to save money for the next 12 months.

By the end of the savings challenge not only will you have a tidy sum of money, you will have built a strong new habit of saving money.

A money habit that’ll help you become financially sound and strong.

Benefits of doing a year long challenge.

Unlike shorter challenges like saving $1000 in a month or 12 weeks, doing a 52 week money challenge involved dedication and commitment.

Having a laid out plan of what you are going to save and when keeps things simple so you’re not constantly thinking where you are with your challenge.

Using a printable 52 week challenge pdf also helps to keep things visual.

You can grab a printable copy of all these money challenges when you join my free resource library.

A year long challenge is a golden opportunity to create life long savings habits.

You might not want to save the exact amount every year but by week 52 you know you have the discipline to not only save money but to save what you set out to do.

How much money do you save with the 52 week challenge?

How much do you want to save? I’ve listed 10 different 52 week money challenges so its up to you. If you are on a tight budget then go for that one.

If you get paid monthly and do everything monthly then choose a monthly money challenge. If you use a lot of cash then the $5 challenge might be the perfect choice for you.

How to make your personal challenge a success

Tip 1 – choose wisely. While you might love to save $10,000, if this would leave you eating rice and beans the entire year then it’s probably not the best choice.

Likewise if you’ve got very little weight to lose, don’t chose that one!

Tip 2 – Start anytime. There is no need to wait until January 1st. These challenges work best when you are motivated to succeed.

You’re reading this so once you’ve finished move onto the next stage of choosing the right challenge for you and make plans to do it.

Tip 3 – Be determined. Money challenges stretch your budget, the first few weeks seem easy, month 7 maybe not so much.

Keeping a record of where you are, what you have saved so far helps to keep you motivated and determined to succeed.

There are printables of all the money challenges in my free resource library so sign up and download them today.

Tip 4 – Sock the money away first. Don’t wait until the day before next payday to save this weeks money, it isn’t going to work like that.

The best way to be successful is to automate your savings so the money disappears from your main account as soon as you are paid.

Tip 5 – Look at your current budget. See where you can make savings to free up extra cash. Make sure you are not overpaying on your monthly bills like energy and insurance.

To find extra cash try adding some no spend days into your weekly schedule.

image of the printables to help people save money
Choose a 52 week challenge to suit you

10 Best 52 week money challenges for you

The original 52 week money challenge

This is the one that started the whole 52 week savings movement. You will save $1378 by the end of the year when you stay the course.

It’s very simple. Start with $1 in week one and each week save the same amount as the week you’re in so:

  • Week 1 = $1
  • Week 2 = $2
  • Week $3 = $3
  • Until week 52 where you will save $52.

My advice is NOT to start this challenge on January 1st. Why?

Because it means you need to save the most at the most expensive time of year, Thanksgiving to Christmas.

If you are starting in the new year then try the reverse 52 week savings challenge instead.

52 week money challenge laid out with weekly targets
The original 52 week money saving challenge

Reverse 52 week Money challenge

This is the exact same challenge as above but flipped on its head and the one I definitely prefer out of these two. Why?

When you start a challenge you are full of motivation and are keen to succeed, the reverse challenge uses that keenness to save the highest amounts in the first few weeks.

As the months go by, the amount you need to save gets lower and therefore easier to keep going.

How does the reverse savings plan work?

  • Week 1 = $52
  • Week 2 = $51
  • Week 3 = $50
  • Until week 1 = $1.

Best for you if you are worried you won’t be able to maintain motivation throughout the year.

image of the reverse 52 week money challenge
The reverse 52 week challenge is easier than the original

365 day money challenge

This 52 week challenge moves away from counting the weeks and focuses on days.

However it is probably best to actually do the saving part i.e. transferring the money into another account, on a weekly basis, or even monthly.

Because who wants to be making daily transfers between accounts – tedious!

The good thing about this challenge is that its the same amount each week so once your automatic payment is set up you can forget all about it.

How the daily money challenge works

Monday save $1

Tuesday save $2

Wednesday save $3

Thursday save $4

Friday save $5

Saturday save $6

Sunday save $7

Weekly savings total = $28

Yearly total is $1456

Best for people who prefer a set amount each week rather than an escalating amount.

image of a printable 52 week money challenge for daily savings
Grab this 365 money challenge printable from my resource library

Weight loss financial challenge

This is a challenge I have done a few times alongside work colleagues.

Save $5 each week for each lb or ½ kg you have lost.

It’s a flexible challenge and based on how much weight you decide you are going to aim to lose.

When doing this challenge with colleagues the outcome was using the proceeds to have a meal out together.

We had a penalty savings amount which was a great motivator. If we put on any weight then the savings amount doubled.

As the savings weren’t going directly into our own pockets, it really helped to keep us on track and keep losing weight.

How it works

  • Save $5 for each 1lb or 1/2kg lost each week
  • Save $10 if you put on any weight one week

Best for those who need something to motivate them to lose weight and doing it as a group activity.

Grab your copy of all these free printable 52 week money challenges pdfs $ and £ by signing up to my free resource library

Random 52 week Money challenge $3000

When you are on an irregular income or your expenses vary wildly from month to month, saving the same amount each week can get difficult.

This is where the random (think flexible) money challenge can help. You set your 52 week goal and then divvy it up on a very flexible basis.

The aim is to achieve that end goal but it doesn’t matter if much of your savings happen in the first or last months of the year.

There are 2 printable 52 week random savings challenges in my free resource library which you can use. There’s a 52 week money challenge for $3,000 and one for $1,500.

Best for people with irregular incomes, the self employed or those with variable monthly expenses.

$3000 variable savings laid out
$1500 savings printable laid out

52 week money Saving challenge for tight budgets

When you are living paycheck to paycheck it can be difficult to see how you can ever find enough spare cash to save $52 in just a week as per the original challenge.

So here’s one that halves the original challenge and makes it much more doable for low income families.

How the tight budget challenge works

Week 1 = $0.50

Week 2 = $1

Week 3 = $1.50

Until week 52 and $26 saved.

You will save a total of $689.

Again you can reverse this if starting out in January, don’t put your tight budget under pressure at Christmas.

Best for those who are on a low income or have very high outgoings.

alternative savings challenge for tight budgets with weekly amounts listed

52 week money challenge biweekly

This one is aimed at the many people who get paid bi-weekly. A monthly savings challenge doesn’t always work when you get 2 paychecks a month but sometimes 3. But a bi-weekly money saving challenge is the perfect alternative.

How the biweekly money challenge works

It follows the original challenge but with a bi-weekly twist with 26 savings weeks in total.

Week 1 = $3

Week 2 = $7

Week 3 = $11

Until week 51 = $103

image of 52 week challenge for people paid bi-weekly

$5 Dollar challenge

The 52 week $5 challenge is worked very differently to the other money challenges because it is completely based on cash. No transferring money on payday.

It’s all about saving every $5 bill (or £5 note) that you receive. Whether you get 1 a week or 10 a week. This challenge is about saving every single one of them.

What is the $5 Dollar challenge?

  • Each time you receive a $5 bill in change, put in a savings pot.
  • Don’t count your $5 bills until the end of your challenge.

Best for people who use cash on a regular basis.

52 week money challenge $5,000

How about a bigger savings challenge? One where you have a few zeros on the final amount?

The 52-week money challenge $5000 can work very well as a deposit toward your first home, a new car so you don’t need car finance or jump starting your long term savings strategy.

How the $5,000 savings challenge works

You can save a set amount each week or month for 52 weeks.

  • $97 x 52 weeks = $5044
  • $417 x 12 months = $5004

Or you could use one of the free 52 week $5,000 money challenge printables in my resource library as a visual aid to keep you saving.

image of how much to save each week in the $5000 money challenge

52 week money challenge $10,000

The 52 week 10k money challenge is a huge goal and not for the faint hearted.

Achieving the 10 000 savings challenge will be a massive success and can be done when you plan it right.

For my best tips on how to save this amount of money head over to my post that goes into much more detail: How To Save 10K in A Year, And Some!

How the 10 000 dollar challenge works

  • $193 x 52 weeks is $10,036
  • $834 x 12 months is $10,008

The 10000 money saving challenge is best for those who need to save for a big purchase like a house deposit.

26 week money challenge $10,000

If you’re in a hurry and want to do a 10k savings challenge in only 26 weeks then you’re going to need help. $10,000 is a lot of spare change to find in only 6 months. You can find help and advice plus a free 26 week money challenge $10,000 pdf for you to download in this post of mine:

How To Save 10000 In 6 Months: 7 Tips For Success

52 week money challenge $20000

You could double it and create your own 52 week money challenge for $20,000 if your income and budget allows. Just double every savings amount for the full 12 months if you are going to attempt the 20000 money saving challenge.

image listing how to achieve $10000 money challenge in a year
Grab your 52 week money challenge $10,000 pdf from the resource library

Other Money Challenges you Might Like to try

the 100 envelope challenge

The 100 envelope challenge is a personal finance challenge that involves saving money by, well, saving money! The goal of the challenge is to save $5,050 in envelopes by the end of 100 days using only one envelope for each day.

The 50 envelope challenge

The 50 envelope challenge is a way to save $1275 over the course of 50 weeks. Based on the popular 100 day money saving challenge but made easier for those of us who can’t stump up $5000 in just 100 days.

With the 50 day envelope challenge you save money into an envelope every week for a year resulting in $1275 saved.

the 200 envelope challenge

The 200 envelope challenge is a way to save $5,000 over the course of 200 days. Based on the popular 100 day money saving challenge but made easier for those of us who need longer than 100 days to save $5000 but still want a real challenge.

With the 200 day envelope challenge you save money into an envelope every day for 200 days resulting in $5100 saved.

52 week money challenge UK

If you’re looking for 52 week money saving challenge printables for the UK then you’re in luck.

All the free printables are available in both £ and $ so there’s no excuse not to get cracking on printing your blank 52 week money challenge printable and start saving the money!

So there have it, ten 52 week money challenges to suit your finances and your individual circumstances.

Take the 52-week money challenge that suits you best, download your free printable from my resource library and get started.

Good luck!

Grab your copy of all these printable 52 week money saving challenge pdfs by signing up to my free resource library

Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!

pinterest image of the savings challenge
pinterest image of the $10000 money saving challenge

Last Updated on 5th April 2022 by Emma

About Emma

I'm here to help you become confident in making the best money decisions for you and your family. Frugal living has changed my life, let me help you change yours.

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