| All you need do is save: $1 on week one. $2 on week two. $3 on week three. If you increase your weekly saved amount with 1 more dollar, by week 52 you’ll be saving $52. This gives a total of $1,378 at the end of 52 weeks. |
Below is a breakdown of the 52 week money challenge:
| Check | Week No. | Daily Savings | Daily Total |
| 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 20 | $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 | |
| SUM TOTAL | 52 WEEKS | $1,378 |
Now that we’ve discussed the end of the story, let’s return to the beginning… and expand
Table of Contents
52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE
If you need to get a man drunk, dare him to drink.
If you need to get some cash out of him, dare him to spend it.
If you need to get him to save, dare him to save… Except in this last scenario dares will probably not work.
But dares or challenges are a good thing though. They trigger your ego, and you’re tempted to prove a point.
So, today, we’re here with a dare or a challenge. The 52 week money challenge. By the way, we discussed the 1 penny challenge in a previous article. This is the second in a series of money challenges. Now brace yourself!
Just like most challenges, to boost your will to finish this challenge, you might consider getting a partner. A spouse, sibling, friend, co-worker, anybody close that you can start with.
Alright, back to the 52 week money challenge.
“I dare you to save!”
Ouch! Not that simple!
WHAT IS THE 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE?
It is a money savings challenge where you save one dollar each week. The catch is to increase the savings of last week with one more dollar. So if you saved $1 last week, you’ll increase this week’s savings with one more dollar. That gives you $2 for this week. Next week will be $2 + $1 = $3.
The pattern is each week’s count will correspond to the money you’ll save.
So in week 10, you’ll save $10,
On the last week of the challenge which is week 52, you’ll be saving $52.
Now if you did this with a partner, you can spice up the challenge by adding a penalty if one partner misses saving on an agreed day of the week.
So if we agree to drop the savings for the week on a Friday, whoever does not drop the week’s savings by midnight Saturday, will be penalized. Maybe he/she will have to pay for the next day’s lunch. For siblings, the defaulter might have to do some added house chores.
This is just to spice up the challenge. And give an incentive to not miss a week.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Whether you’re saving alone, or with a partner, you’ll need to track your progress.
Find below a 52 week money challenge chart. You can download them in different format. One printable the other editable Microsoft Word and Excel document.
You can drop this file in a shared folder. For example on sharefile or google drive or any cloud storage. So both partners can track and monitor each others progress.
SAVINGS STORAGE LOCATION
This is where creativity comes in. you have different options here:
- Open a savings account. This should be exclusively for the challenge. It shouldn’t be your regular bank account.
- Use a piggy bank. Accept it or not, the classic piggy bank might never go out of extinction. You can keep one in a shared and easily accessible location.
- Come up with creative locations. Do you have a roof chamber or something similar? If you are young, with rushing adrenaline, consider using there to save. A piggy bank or some vintage style container should do. Let’s go one step crazier. Have you considered using a vintage kettle, a vase or something similar. Just deviate from the norm and do the extra mile. The idea is to add fun and creativity to the challenge.
BENEFITS OF COMPLETING THE 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE
IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP
I intentionally chose to start from the least obvious. But there’s more to life than money. Building and sustaining relationships is a vital part to finance. After all, who do we walk 9 to 5 for? It’s usually for our loved ones.
Doing this challenge is a fine way to build relationships. If you can successfully complete the challenge with a friend, sibling or spouse, you would have spent one full year working on a project.
Ever wondered why teammates in any endeavour build strong lasting friendships? It is due to the time spent working together, meeting challenges and overcoming them. Sportmen, soldiers and even students know this so well.
So, this is a fine opportunity to solidify your relationship with someone of your choice.
Now let’s go to the more obvious.
BUILD GOOD HABIT
According to Healthline it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit. The duration ranges from 18 to 254 days.
This can translate as:
By week 10 you’d probably formed a kind of habit of savings. Some of you have started forming this habit by week 3. Even if it’s difficult for you to form a habit, you’ll probably have formed one by 36
Of course this assumption is hardly true. But the point is, before the end of the project, you’ll have begun forming a habit to save.
Think of it: Many addicts will rather wish they were addicted to savings.
BUILD CONFIDENCE
One of the biggest challenges to saving money is the thought that you can’t do it. For chronic spenders, this lack of self-confidence is their biggest setback to saving.
The 52 week money challenge is a fine way to build such confidence. If you work with a partner, or a group, you’ll be motivated to complete the challenge. Once completed, you’ll have built confidence that you can do it too.
INCREASED MONEY POWER
Raining days are unpredictable. But for many they have become a reality. Do you know that as of 2018 stats, 46% of Americans lack a rainy day fund? That is, funds to care for emergencies for three months? The number might be higher for second and third world nations.
This 52 day money challenge increases your savings power.
CHALLENGES YOU MIGHT FACE
Life is usually not Hollywood adventure movies. Even there, there are challenges. So expect to meet some challenges while doing the money challenge (no pun intended). What challenges should you prepare for?
REDUCED WILLPOWER AS THE WEEKLY REQUIREMENT INCREASES
It’s usually all fun when you start with $1 on week 1. But what happens on week 20, when you have to set aside $30?
If you have little income, or your expenses are high. It might pose a challenge to continue the challenge as the stakes get higher.
NO MOTIVATION
Starting this project without a partner might present its own challenges. You might begin to forget setting aside an amount for the week. Or even the motivation to do so when you remember.
DISAGREEMENT AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS
As much as engaging in joint projects can strengthen relationships. Money and anything related are notorious for wielding the sword across relationships.
When not properly managed, money projects can result in misunderstandings.
When taken to extremes, penalties meant to spice the project, can lead to disagreements.
REVERSE 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE
Talking about spicing the challenge, some have prefered to do a variation of the challenge. The Reverse 52 Week Money challenge.
All you need to do is, start from the bottom. Save $52 on week 1 and reduce the weekly amount with $1. So, week 2 will be $51, week 3 $50 and so on.
ADVANTAGES OF THE REVERSE 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE
START WHEN YOUR MOTIVATION IS HIGH
Runners are strongest at the beginning of a raise. Similarly you might have the strongest will at the start of the project. As the project continues as financial fatigue begins to set in, you’ll have less and less amount to save. This is a motivation to see it to the end.
START WHEN YOUR BUDGET IS FRESH
The average person who starts this challenge is sure of saving $52 at week 52. Issue is, you cannot always tell how things will be in 52 weeks time.
This is a safe way to start when your budget is fresh and guaranteed. In the eventuality that your incomes reduces or your expenses increases, you’ll know you only have little to save up each week.
CONCLUSION
Our biggest leaps in life start with a few steps. A ‘baby-walk’, though fragile, creates the foundation for the fastest athlete.
Like every money challenge, the goal is to improve your personal finance. But you may just have to start with the fragile work.
The 52 week money challenge is one such baby-walk. Do you think it’s a good fit for you? Why not try it today.
Or might check a different article in the money challenge series.
Maybe you’ll find one that suits you better.
