52-week savings challenge: the numbers, three easier versions and a printable tracker
The 52-week savings challenge is simple: save $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2, and so on up to $52 in week 52. The total is $1,378 by the end of the year.
The numbers
| Week | Save | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1 | $1 |
| 2 | $2 | $3 |
| 3 | $3 | $6 |
| 4 | $4 | $10 |
| 5 | $5 | $15 |
| 10 | $10 | $55 |
| 13 | $13 | $91 |
| 20 | $20 | $210 |
| 26 | $26 | $351 |
| 30 | $30 | $465 |
| 39 | $39 | $780 |
| 45 | $45 | $1035 |
| 52 | $52 | $1378 |
Three ways to make it easier
- Reverse it. Start at $52 and go down. The hard weeks come while your motivation is high, and the last weeks are cheap.
- Pair it with a no-spend day. Mark one day a week where you buy nothing and move that money into the week's amount.
- Pick a goal first. Name the fund (emergency, holiday, moving) so the money has a job.
Pitfalls
Missing a week is fine. Add the missed amount to a later week instead of quitting. Keep the money in a separate account so you do not spend it by accident.
Printable tracker
If you would rather tick boxes on paper, I made a printable PDF with the 52-week and reverse 52-week charts, $1,000 and $5,000 goal trackers, a no-spend day tracker and a sinking funds page: Savings Challenge Tracker ($5). The rest of my printable planners are in the store.