Saving Money Challenges: Which Fits You

A saving money challenge gives you one simple rule to follow until a set end date, so you never have to decide how much to save. This guide compares 11 popular challenges by length and total, shows which one suits your pay schedule and budget, and includes a free printable chart. It is part of our money saving tips series.

What a money saving challenge is

A money saving challenge is a set rule for putting money aside, such as saving $1 more each week or filling one envelope a day, for a fixed number of days, weeks or paychecks. The rule removes the daily decision, and a chart shows your progress, which makes saving feel like a game you can win.

Every challenge has three parts:

• A rule. For example, save the week number in dollars, or save 1 cent more each day.
• A length. Usually 30 days, 100 days, 26 paychecks, 52 weeks or 365 days.
• A tracker. A chart, an app or a jar that shows how far you have come.

If you want an easy money saving challenge, start with $1 a day. It saves $365 in a year, and you will barely notice a single dollar.

Savings challenges compared

The savings challenges compared below range from $365 a year for $1 a day to $10,001 for $27.40 a day. The 52 week money challenge saves $1,378 and suits most beginners. Pick the one whose biggest weekly or daily amount you could still afford in your tightest month.

Every total is simple addition, so you can check it: the 52 week challenge adds $1 + $2 + $3 and so on up to $52, which comes to $1,378. Two popular questions work the same way. The "$27.39 rule" gives $9,997.35 in a year, so round up to $27.40 to pass $10,000. Saving $10,000 in 100 days takes $100 a day, and $5,000 in three months takes about $385 a week for 13 weeks.

Track whichever challenge you choose with our free money challenge chart: download the savings challenge chart (PDF). Page one is a 52 row tracker for any weekly or biweekly challenge, and page two is a 100 envelope challenge chart.

Weekly challenges: 52 week and variations

The 52 week money challenge is the classic weekly challenge: save $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2 and so on, ending with $52 in week 52, for $1,378 in a year. Variations change the direction or the size of each step, from the reverse challenge that starts at $52 to versions in $5 or $10 steps.

• Reverse 52 week savings challenge. Start at $52 and count down. If you begin in January, your smallest amounts, $8 down to $1, land in November and December, during holiday shopping.
• Pick a week. Cross off any week's amount you can afford that week, in any order, until all 52 are done.
• Bigger steps. Multiply every amount by 2, 5 or 10 to reach a larger goal in the same year.

For the full week by week table and a printable chart, see our guide to the 52 week money challenge.

Biweekly and paycheck challenges

Biweekly and paycheck challenges match saving to payday, which makes them easier to automate. The biweekly 52 week challenge saves two weeks' amounts each payday, from $3 up to $103, and still totals $1,378. A fixed paycheck challenge saves the same amount every payday, such as $50, for $1,300 over 26 paychecks.

• Biweekly 52 week challenge. Payday 1 saves weeks 1 and 2 ($3), payday 2 saves weeks 3 and 4 ($7), and so on until payday 26 saves weeks 51 and 52 ($103).
• Fixed paycheck challenge. Pick an amount you can always afford, such as $50, and move it on every payday. After 26 paychecks you have $1,300.
• Percent of pay challenge. Save a share of each check instead of a dollar amount. Saving 5% of a $2,000 paycheck is $100, or $2,600 over 26 paychecks, and it grows with every raise.

Paycheck challenges are the easiest to put on autopilot. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggests recurring transfers from checking to savings, or splitting your paycheck between the two if your employer offers it (CFPB, checked October 2026). For a payday by payday plan, see our biweekly savings challenge guide.

Daily and coin challenges

Daily and coin challenges use small amounts every day. The 365 day penny challenge saves 1 cent on day 1, 2 cents on day 2 and so on up to $3.65 on day 365, for $667.95. A $1 a day challenge saves $365, a quarter a day saves $91.25, and round-up programs move spare change for you.

• 365 day penny challenge. The amounts grow all year, so the last month is the hardest. Run it in reverse, or cross off any day's amount in any order, to spread out the big days.
• $1 a day challenge. One dollar every day for a year is $365. If you want a year money saving challenge that never feels heavy, this is it.
• Quarter a day. Drop one quarter in a jar each day for $91.25 a year. It is a good first challenge for kids.
• Round-up savings. Some banks round purchases up for you. Bank of America's Keep the Change, for example, rounds each debit card purchase up to the nearest dollar and moves the change from checking to savings. It needs a Bank of America checking account with a debit card and a savings account (Bank of America, checked October 2026).

When a coin jar fills up, deposit it at your bank or credit union, and ask first whether it counts coins for free. Short on time? Our guide to the 30 day savings challenge covers shorter daily and coin challenges.

Savings challenges for couples

A money saving challenge for couples works best with one shared goal, one shared account and one chart you can both see. Run the same challenge side by side, such as two 52 week challenges for $2,756 together, or split one: one partner saves the odd weeks and the other saves the even weeks.

• Side by side. Each partner runs a 52 week challenge. Together you save $2,756 in a year.
• Odd and even weeks. One partner covers weeks 1, 3, 5 and so on ($676 in total), and the other covers weeks 2, 4, 6 and so on ($702). Together that is $1,378, with neither of you saving every week.
• Match it. Each time one partner saves, the other adds the same amount.
• No spend weekends. Pick one weekend a month with no spending, and move what you would have spent into the shared account.

A joint savings account keeps the money in one place. The FDIC adds up each co-owner's shares of every joint account at the same insured bank and insures that total up to $250,000 per co-owner, as long as the account meets the FDIC joint account rules, such as equal withdrawal rights for every co-owner (FDIC, checked October 2026). For more ideas to save together, see our household money saving tips.

Cash envelope and savings jar challenges

Cash envelope and savings jar challenges keep the money physical, which helps if you spend less when you can see it. The 100 envelope challenge fills envelopes numbered 1 to 100 with that many dollars, for $5,050 in total. A savings jar or money saving can holds cash or coins until you deposit it.

• 100 envelope challenge. Number 100 envelopes, pick one each day, and put in that many dollars. Finishing in 100 days averages $50.50 a day, so spread it over a longer period if that is too much. A 50 envelope version saves $1,275.
• $5 bill challenge. Every time a $5 bill reaches your wallet, it goes in the jar. The total depends on how often you pay with cash.
• Money saving can. A sealed savings tin that only opens with a can opener makes it harder to dip in before you reach your goal.

Any cash saving challenge has one weakness: cash at home earns nothing and is not insured. Deposit the jar or envelopes in a federally insured savings account at least once a month. Page two of our savings challenge chart is a 100 envelope tracker you can cross off.

How to stick with a challenge

To stick with a challenge, automate it, keep it visible and plan for hard weeks. Schedule a recurring transfer for each amount, put the chart where you see it every day, and decide in advance what you will do when money is tight, such as repeating last week's amount instead of quitting.

1. Automate it. A 2020 review of the research by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says automatic enrollment and automatic increases can lead to more people saving and larger deposits (CFPB).
2. Do not rely on the goal alone. The same review says the effect of savings targets and prompts can be modest, so pair your goal with an automatic transfer.
3. Keep the chart visible. Print it, fill it in on payday and keep it on the fridge.
4. Plan the hard weeks. Swap weeks, repeat a smaller amount or skip a week and make it up later, rather than quitting.
5. Give the money a job. Name the goal on your chart, such as an emergency fund or a holiday budget.
6. Fit it into your budget. A challenge that fights your budget will not last. Our guide on how to budget for saving money shows how to make room for it.

Money saving challenges FAQ

What is the best money saving challenge?

The best money saving challenge is the one you can finish. For most beginners that is the 52 week money challenge, which starts at $1 and saves $1,378 in a year. If you are paid every two weeks, the biweekly version saves the same total on payday. If $1,378 is too much, start with $1 a day for $365.

How much do you save in a savings challenge?

It depends on the challenge. The 52 week money challenge saves $1,378, the 365 day penny challenge saves $667.95, the 100 envelope challenge saves $5,050, and saving $27.40 a day saves $10,001 in a year. Add up the amounts before you start, so you know the challenge fits your budget.

Do money saving challenges work?

They work best when they are automatic. A 2020 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau review of the research says automatic enrollment and automatic increases can lead to more saving, while savings targets and prompts alone have modest effects. So pair your challenge with a recurring transfer, and use the chart to track your progress, not to remember to save.