Saving + Investment + consistency! It is the mantra to achieve financial freedom for anyone. Is it easy to follow? Most people fail at the first step (disciplined saving) only due to a lack of consistency and poor spending habits. Are you one of them? Don't be disheartened! We have a fun solution: choosing a specific savings challenge tailored to your budget and financial goals.
You might wonder, "What exactly is it?" You may have heard about money-saving trends on social media platforms like TikTok. Most young adults (Gen Z) feel financially inadequate and seek money advice from Finfluencers on social media platforms.
Before we dive into each of the popular challenges, let's first understand what the hype is all about. Let's begin!
What is a Savings Challenge?
A savings challenge is a fun and exciting way to save money and achieve a desired financial goal over a period (short or long). The best part is that people from any income category can participate in these challenges by considering their budget and financial targets.
It's a fun and adventurous way to save a specific amount of money. Since it allows you to track your savings status, it keeps people motivated and thrilled throughout their savings journey.
Moreover, the introduction of many easy-to-use digital tools has further escalated its popularity on a large scale.
How Does the Money-Saving Challenge Work?
The primary motive of a savings challenge is to form a savings habit and fulfill a set financial goal. It sets the path for a person to become financially responsible and achieve financial freedom.
The best thing about it is that you can save money anytime (Irrespective of your current financial situation). All you need to do is select a suitable challenge according to your comfort level.
The primary reason it has gained popularity is the involvement of a fun element that makes it exciting for people from different financial backgrounds. Thanks to the availability of specific digital tools, it is now possible to track progress and share financial achievements with friends on social media.
Additionally, the available rewards and gamification features significantly enhance their popularity. Starting your savings journey becomes easier when you track your expenses or debts effectively and accurately.
Easy way to do it? You can check out the Money Saving Challenge Bundle designed by Lady in Finance. It comprises a total of 17 printable trackers catering to different savings challenges. Here, you can even create your customized challenge according to your financial requirements and situation.
You can easily track your financial progress by considering your expenses or debts in an easy-to-comprehend visual format.
Easy-to-Follow Savings Challenges for Different Income Levels
Whether you have a short-term or long-term savings goal, you can select a particular savings challenge accordingly. You're available with a weekly, monthly, or yearly challenge. Let's discuss each of these briefly:
1. 52-Week Money Challenge
If you're determined and committed to building a savings habit over a year, this challenge is for you. To implement it, you need to submit $1 for week 1, $2 for week 2, and so on till week 52.
- Week 1: $1
- Week 2: $2
- Week 3: $3
- …….
- …….
- Week 52: 52$
At the end of 52 weeks, you will have accumulated a total of $ 1,378, which is a substantial savings amount after making a comfortable deposit each week.
2. The 100-Envelope Savings Challenge
It is a suitable challenge for those willing to secure a substantial investment amount within approximately 3 months (a short-term goal). Firstly, label envelopes with numbers from 1 to 100. Then, randomly select each envelope every day and transfer the corresponding amount based on the number on the envelope.
At the end of 100 days, you'll have $5050 in your savings account. Although it is an exciting challenge for anyone, it can sometimes become difficult for a person to put a certain amount into a given envelope.
If you feel any financial burden during the challenge, consider picking an envelope less frequently (a couple of times a week, maybe!). The 100-envelope savings challenge continued to trend on TikTok, claiming to help people save a substantial amount of money in their accounts.
3. 12-Month Savings Challenge
In this monthly savings challenge, you multiply the monthly number by $10 and submit it to your savings account. For example:
Month 1: 1*$10 = $10
Month 2: 2*$10 = $20
Month 3: 3*$10 = $30
..
..
..
Month 12: 12*$10= $120
At the end of 12 months, you will save $780 in your account. It is a perfect challenge to gradually build a savings habit without putting any financial burden or stress on your pocket.
4. 26-Week Savings Challenge
If you aren't comfortable depositing money into your account each week, you can utilize this challenge. However, you must start investing at $3 for the first week and increase the amount by $3 every alternate week. Let's understand it with an example:
- Week 1: $3
- Week 3: $6
- Week 5: $9
- …
- …
- …
- Week 26: $78
After 26 weeks, you will have $ 1,053 in your savings account, and you will have established a good financial habit.
5. 1% Retirement Challenge
Retirement savings are essential for everyone, and almost every person contributes a certain sum of money into a retirement account. What if you increment the retirement amount by just 1% each year? Does it not make much of a difference? Well, you're wrong!
That's where the magic begins! For example, if you were investing 3% in your IRA account, you could raise it to 4% each year. For instance, if you were submitting $50,000 annually, increasing 1% would account for just $500 more per year.
Calculating the weekly contribution, it stands at less than 10%, which is not a significant burden on anyone's pocket. And the benefits? Well, even if you began this savings challenge at 40, you'll notice a considerable boost in your retirement account balance. Isn't it great?
6. No-Spend Money Challenge
As the name suggests, it involves restricting unnecessary spending for a given period. You can choose the period for no-spend at your convenience (it could be a day, week, or a month). After you manage to execute it, you'll notice a good increment in your account.
It is one of the most popular low-income savings challenges for people with limited financial resources. This challenge helps people gain more control over their spending habits and increase their savings.
7. The Round-Up Challenge
Every time you make a purchase, consider rounding up the amount to the next dollar. It will help you save some cents each time you make a purchase. It is accessible to people from all income groups. Although it is easier to implement, it will take some time to add up to significant savings in your account.
8. The Birthday Challenge
Birthdays are always special, and you could make them even more special. At your and your loved ones' birthday events, you could save a certain amount (say $50 or equivalent to the birthday date).
For example, if you turned 40 today or your loved one turned 30 a week later, you would save $40 for your birthday. And for your loved one's birthday, you would save $30.
9. Subscription Cancellation Challenge
Most of the time, we have unused subscriptions for which we pay monthly fees. Canceling these subscriptions and saving some amount would help you add to your savings. Your savings in this case depend on whether you pause or cancel for a short or long period.
10. Check the Temperature Challenge
The next savings challenge involves linking the saved amount to the weather at your place. Set a specific period (such as a week or a month) and observe the temperature change. Note the maximum temperature during that span and save the corresponding amount in your account.
However, if you live in a hot climate, consider limiting the span of the temperature record to save money. If it's the opposite, consider increasing the saved amount after setting aside the amount for daily expenses.
11. 365-Day Savings Challenge
It involves saving $1 on the first day, $2 on the second day, and so on, till the 365th day. After one year, you will have a savings of $667 in your account. It is also one of the common low-income savings challenges anyone could follow.
12. Loud Budgeting
Among the trending challenges on social media, Loud Budgeting created a lot of noise (especially on TikTok). And you might not believe that this challenge is still creating hype among young adults in 2025.
How to Money Saving Guide: Easy Tips to Support Any Challenge
Despite making efforts and resolving to save money, most people fail to achieve their savings goals. Result? Failure to complete any of the above challenges successfully. To help you out, we have provided a few simple tips that will help you accomplish your challenge goals seamlessly. Let's discuss it!
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Save Consistently
Firstly, you need to build a habit of saving consistently. Only then would you be able to take part in any yearly, weekly, or monthly savings challenge. You can use the automatic transfer facilities, such as Standing Instructions, to do it effectively.
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Cut-Off Unnecessary Expenses
Apart from saving, another way to save money is by eliminating unnecessary expenses from your list. Filtering out unnecessary expenses would help you put more money into your savings account.
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Plan Grocery & Eat Home-Cooked Food
Planning your grocery list and sticking to it would not only help you manage your budget effectively but also help prevent impulse buying. You must avoid buying anything that is not on your grocery list. Additionally, eating home-cooked food is an effective way to reduce your food spending.
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Track Your Expenses
Keeping track of your expenses helps you make your savings journey easier. Nowadays, it is easy to do it via printable charts, digital apps, and spreadsheets. Utilizing the Money Saving Challenge trackers by Lady in Finance would help (especially females!) track their expenses accurately.
Choosing the Right Challenge for You
Now, you know many popular savings challenges that could help you save a good amount of money. When selecting one for yourself, it is wise to consider the following factors. Here are these:
- Assess your income & financial situation
- Your financial goals for the future.
- Your ability to save & invest money for a while.
Before following any of these money-saving challenges, consider these pointers.
A Stepping Stone for Lasting Saving Habit
Starting a money-saving challenge alone isn't sufficient for achieving the desired financial freedom. You need to stick to it and follow it consistently with new financial goals.
You must utilize your accumulated amount and invest in more rewarding financial instruments. It is the key to generating profitable returns and establishing a lasting savings habit for enhanced financial benefits.
Final Thoughts
Some people consider these savings challenges just temporary social media trends. If you think wisely about this subject, you'll find they aren't necessarily so!
For disciplined savers, they offer desired financial returns over the long term. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced saver, you have a fair chance to achieve an extraordinary financial status over a specific span.
So, what are you waiting for? Start saving as early as possible by selecting your favorite saving challenge to level up your financial status and enjoy an extraordinary future.
FAQs:
1. What is the best savings challenge?
We cannot name a specific savings challenge as the best one for everyone. Its selection depends on multiple factors, including financial goals, commitment level, and the person's current situation.
2. How does the money-saving challenge work for beginners?
Beginners can easily participate in a money-saving challenge. They need to select the right challenge by setting their financial goals for a specific period. Additionally, they can track their progress in a fun way using digital tools to keep themselves going.
3. Can a person from a low-income group opt for a savings challenge?
Why not! Anyone can utilize many low-income savings challenges, such as round-up purchases or a no-spend challenge, to save substantial money if followed consistently over time.
4. How can I start a savings challenge in a fun way?
Beginning and continuing a savings challenge can be done in a fun and creative way using the savings challenge printable PDF, gamification of your challenge, and rewarding yourself for achieving specific targets.
