Want to build a savings habit? It’s not always easy, especially if you’re just starting out. The 52 week savings challenge offers a simple plan. It makes saving money both doable and fun for anyone who wants better financial health.
In this guide, we’ll show you how the challenge works. We’ll cover its benefits and share tips to help you save £1,378 over the next year.
What is the 52 week money challenge?
The challenge is a simple way to save. You save £1 in week one, £2 in week two, and so on. Each week, you add £1 more to your savings until you reach £52 in the final week.
By following this plan, you’ll save £1,378 by the end of the year.
This popular money saving challenge works because it starts small. The amount grows bit by bit, making it easier to adjust your budget over time.
The best part? You don’t need to put aside a large sum right away. This makes the 52 week savings goal work for most people.
| Week | Weekly Savings | Total Savings |
| Week 1 | £1 | £1 |
| Week 2 | £2 | £3 |
| Week 3 | £3 | £6 |
| Week 4 | £4 | £10 |
| Week 5 | £5 | £15 |
| Week 6 | £6 | £21 |
| Week 7 | £7 | £28 |
| Week 8 | £8 | £36 |
| Week 9 | £9 | £45 |
| Week 10 | £10 | £55 |
| Week 11 | £11 | £66 |
| Week 12 | £12 | £78 |
| Week 13 | £13 | £91 |
| Week 14 | £14 | £105 |
| Week 15 | £15 | £120 |
| Week 16 | £16 | £136 |
| Week 17 | £17 | £153 |
| Week 18 | £18 | £171 |
| Week 19 | £19 | £190 |
| Week 20 | £20 | £210 |
| Week 21 | £21 | £231 |
| Week 22 | £22 | £253 |
| Week 23 | £23 | £276 |
| Week 24 | £24 | £300 |
| Week 25 | £25 | £325 |
| Week 26 | £26 | £351 |
| Week 27 | £27 | £378 |
| Week 28 | £28 | £406 |
| Week 29 | £29 | £435 |
| Week 30 | £30 | £465 |
| Week 31 | £31 | £496 |
| Week 32 | £32 | £528 |
| Week 33 | £33 | £561 |
| Week 34 | £34 | £595 |
| Week 35 | £35 | £630 |
| Week 36 | £36 | £666 |
| Week 37 | £37 | £703 |
| Week 38 | £38 | £741 |
| Week 39 | £39 | £780 |
| Week 40 | £40 | £820 |
| Week 41 | £41 | £861 |
| Week 42 | £42 | £903 |
| Week 43 | £43 | £946 |
| Week 44 | £44 | £990 |
| Week 45 | £45 | £1,035 |
| Week 46 | £46 | £1,081 |
| Week 47 | £47 | £1,128 |
| Week 48 | £48 | £1,176 |
| Week 49 | £49 | £1,225 |
| Week 50 | £50 | £1,275 |
| Week 51 | £51 | £1,326 |
| Week 52 | £52 | £1,378 |
Getting Started with the Savings Challenge
1. Setting Meaningful Savings Goals
Before you begin the challenge, decide what you’re saving money for. Having a clear purpose keeps you going when saving gets tough.
Your savings goals might be:
- Building an emergency fund
- Saving for a house deposit
- Planning a holiday
- Creating a general savings pot for the future
Make your goal visual. Set a reminder on your phone. Or place a picture of your goal near your desk. This visual cue helps when your drive starts to fade. Many find that linking your money challenge to a specific goal boosts their success rate.
2. Customising Your Approach
The savings challenge follows a set pattern. But feel free to change it to fit your needs:
- Try the challenge in reverse. Start with £52 in week one and go down each week
- Mix up the amounts to keep it fresh and manage cash flow better
- Set the same amount each week (£26.50) if you prefer keeping it simple
Shape the challenge to fit your money reality and pay schedule.
Remember, staying the course matters more than following the exact plan. Some people do better with two 26-week challenges instead of one 52-week plan. The halfway point lets them renew their drive.
3. Creating a savings plan
Make a practical plan to help you succeed:
- Open a special bank savings account just for your challenge money
- Set up auto-transfers right after payday to your savings account.
- Look for high-interest savings accounts to earn more
- Try digital banks with helpful features for extra saving chances
Making your saving happen on auto-pilot cuts the urge to spend that money elsewhere. It helps build a steady habit.
A good plan helps you stick with the challenge even when the amounts get bigger in later weeks. Plan ahead by setting reminders for your weekly deposits, especially if you’re not using auto-transfers.
4. Tracking your progress
Keeping tabs on your challenge gives you drive and keeps you on track. You might:
- Use a printed chart where you check off each week
- Set up a spreadsheet to add up your running total
- Use a savings app that shows your growing balance
- Take monthly photos of your account balance for visual pep
Watching your savings grow week by week builds good money habits. Regular tracking helps keep your drive up all year. It makes finishing the savings challenge more likely. Many who save well say that tracking progress becomes a fun weekly ritual they look forward to.
Tips for Completing Your Money Savings Challenge
1. Making Saving a Team Effort
Turn the challenge into a group activity. Invite friends or family to join you. Create a group chat where everyone shares weekly progress. Discuss saving tips and offer support when drive runs low.
This social side adds peer pressure in a good way. It turns saving from a solo task into a shared journey, making it much more fun. The team approach can change a boring money task into a fun contest or group win.
2. Finding Creative Ways to Save
As the weekly amounts get bigger, look for clever ways to free up extra cash:
- Cancel unused subscriptions and put that money in your savings
- Plan meals to cut food waste and takeaway costs
- Use cashback apps when you shop
- Try a “no spend weekend” once a month to boost savings
Small tweaks to spending habits can make room for bigger savings without changing your lifestyle much. Many who succeed find money for the challenge by cutting small costs they barely miss. Putting money saved from skipping small treats right into your savings builds momentum fast.
3. Adjusting Your Savings Strategy
Being flexible helps ensure long-term success. If the growing pattern gets hard during certain times:
- Save more in weeks when you get extra income
- During tight money times, save less than planned
- Try a monthly no-spend challenge to boost your saving power
- Switch weeks around if you know a certain week will be tough
The key is to keep the saving habit, even if you stray from the plan for a bit. Finishing the money challenge matters more than perfect sticking to the schedule. Some find success by saving a tiny amount each day rather than a bigger sum once a week.
4. Using Technology to Support Your Savings
Today’s digital tools can help:
- Budget apps that show where you can save
- Auto-saving apps that study your spending patterns
- Banking apps with saving tools like spending groups
- Reminder systems to prompt your weekly deposits
These tech solutions make tracking easy and give extra drive through visual progress meters. Many banks now offer round-up features. These auto-save the spare change from purchases to help. Using tech removes much of the hassle from saving, making it easier to keep up the habit long-term.
5. Embracing Frugal Living
Adopting money-saving habits can help you complete the challenge:
- Shop second-hand for clothes and home items
- Learn basic DIY skills to cut service costs
- Get better rates on regular bills
- Use libraries and free local resources for fun
Remember that being frugal isn’t about going without. It’s about making smart spending choices that match your money goals. Many find that the savings challenge helps them spot waste and needless spending.
Putting money saved through frugal living straight into your savings creates a strong loop that builds good habits.
6. Celebrating Your Achievements
Mark your progress through the challenge:
- Celebrate after your first month of steady saving
- Mark reaching the halfway point (£406 saved)
- Note when you hit key points (£500, £1,000)
- Plan a fitting reward when you finish the whole challenge
These small parties boost your saving habit and make the journey more fun. Keep rewards modest to avoid undoing your progress in the money challenge. Many who save well create a monthly ritual. They review their progress and plan next month’s saving plan.
Benefits of the Challenge
1. Building a Strong Savings Habit
The clear plan of the saving over 52 weeks helps create a steady saving routine. By making saving a weekly task, you build a habit that lasts beyond the challenge itself. Many who finish the saving challenge find that setting aside money becomes automatic. It no longer needs much thought.
This new habit builds a base for long-term money health and trust in handling your money. The drive gained through completing the saving challenge often spreads to other money tasks.
2. Starting Small and Growing
A key plus of this challenge is its step-by-step approach. Starting with just £1 makes it open to anyone, no matter your money state now. As your savings grow bit by bit, you adjust to higher amounts without feeling swamped.
This gradual method lets your “saving muscles” get stronger over time. By the time you reach the higher saving weeks, you’ve built both the habit and the skill to fit larger amounts in your budget. Many say that saving £50+ per week seems impossible at the start of the challenge. But it becomes doable by the end.
3. Improving Your Money Management Skills
Taking part builds key money skills:
- Budgeting: Planning for weekly saving helps you manage your whole budget better
- Discipline: The challenge builds your skill to put long-term goals first
- Adaptability: You learn to adjust spending as saving amounts grow
- Goal-setting: The challenge teaches you to set clear, measurable money targets
These skills go beyond the challenge. They help you tackle other money goals with more trust. The success of finishing a money challenge often leads to setting and reaching bigger saving goals later. Monthly savings often grow naturally after the challenge ends as the saving habit takes root.
Conclusion
The money challenge gives you a practical plan for building good savings over a year. By starting small and slowly raising your amounts, you build lasting habits while saving a solid sum. Remember that being flexible and steady are key to finishing this money saving challenge.
Adapt the plan to fit your own needs, track your progress often, and celebrate your wins through the year. With each weekly deposit, you’re not just growing your bank balance. You’re building valuable money skills and habits that will help your overall money health for years to come.
FAQs
Can I Start the Challenge Anytime?
Yes, you can start the savings challenge any time. You don’t need to wait for January or the new year. Choose a time when you feel ready and keen to commit. Some prefer starting after a payday or at the start of a month to make tracking easier. The best day to start your savings journey is the day you decide to begin.
How Does the 100 Envelope Challenge Work with the 52 Week Challenge?
The 100 envelope challenge can work well with the 52 week challenge:
1. Number 100 envelopes from 1-100
2. Shuffle them and pick two each week
3. Put the matching amount into each envelope
4. Do both challenges at the same time
This method may boost your total savings while keeping the weekly habit active.
Many find that switching between different saving challenges keeps their drive high and stops savings burnout.
What is the No Spend Challenge?
The no spend challenge means cutting out non-essential spending for a set time—from a weekend to a month or more. During this time:
1. You still pay must-pay bills (housing, utilities, food)
2. All extra spending (eating out, fun, shopping) stops
3. Money saved goes toward your savings goals
Many mix short zero spend challenges with the 52 week challenge to speed up progress, especially during weeks with bigger deposits. The challenge works best when timed well during the higher-value weeks of your 52 week challenge.
Disclaimer: This article gives general information only and is not financial advice. Think about your own situation when making money choices.
Related Guides:
