If you want to save more in 2023, committing to a savings challenge may help.
Is one of your New Year's goals boosting your savings account balance? Having extra money in the bank can make it easier to deal with unexpected costs and make those situations less stressful. Are you hoping to save $5,000 in 2023 to boost your emergency fund? This savings challenge may help you stay on track with your personal finance goals.
Follow this plan to save $5,000 in 52 weeks
The first step to working toward a savings goal is to decide how much you want to save. $5,000 is a fantastic goal. For some people, a challenge may help them stay on track. By following a savings challenge, you can have fun and remain committed to your money goals. To reach your $5,000 goal, here are the amounts to save over the 52 weeks that make up a year:
Week | Amount to Save | Total Contributions |
---|
1 | $50 | $50 |
2 | $50 | $100 |
3 | $50 | $150 |
4 | $50 | $200 |
5 | $75 | $275 |
6 | $75 | $350 |
7 | $75 | $425 |
8 | $75 | $500 |
9 | $100 | $600 |
10 | $100 | $700 |
11 | $100 | $800 |
12 | $100 | $900 |
13 | $110 | $1,010 |
14 | $110 | $1,120 |
15 | $110 | $1,230 |
16 | $110 | $1,340 |
17 | $130 | $1,470 |
18 | $130 | $1,600 |
19 | $130 | $1,730 |
20 | $130 | $1,860 |
21 | $150 | $2,010 |
22 | $150 | $2,160 |
23 | $150 | $2,310 |
24 | $150 | $2,460 |
25 | $130 | $2,590 |
26 | $130 | $2,720 |
27 | $130 | $2,850 |
28 | $130 | $2,980 |
29 | $110 | $3,090 |
30 | $110 | $3,200 |
31 | $110 | $3,310 |
32 | $110 | $3,420 |
33 | $100 | $3,520 |
34 | $100 | $3,620 |
35 | $100 | $3,720 |
36 | $100 | $3,820 |
37 | $90 | $3,910 |
38 | $90 | $4,000 |
39 | $90 | $4,090 |
40 | $90 | $4,180 |
41 | $80 | $4,260 |
42 | $80 | $4,340 |
43 | $80 | $4,420 |
44 | $80 | $4,500 |
45 | $75 | $4,575 |
46 | $75 | $4,650 |
47 | $75 | $4,725 |
48 | $75 | $4,800 |
49 | $50 | $4,850 |
50 | $50 | $4,900 |
51 | $50 | $4,950 |
52 | $50 | $5,000 |
Data source: Author's calculations
Why this is a winning savings strategy
What is nice about this challenge is that the weekly amounts are manageable, and you'll never have to set aside more than $150 weekly. Additionally, the savings contributions get smaller as you near the end of the year. This can be a massive win for your wallet if you plan to spend extra money on gifts and other holiday purchases during the last few weeks of the year.
Find a plan that works for you
If the above savings challenge doesn't appeal to you, that's okay. You can create a savings plan that fits your lifestyle and goals. There are many paths available to make your goal a reality.
Here are a few more ways to save $5,000 by the end of 2023:
- Save $96.16 every week
- Save $192.31 every two weeks
- Save $416.67 every month
- Save $1,250 every quarter
- Save $2,500 every six months
You can reach your savings goals if you remain committed. If you plan to save money throughout the year, be sure to store your extra funds in a savings account so you don't miss out on the opportunity to earn interest. If you only have a checking account, take a look at our list of best high-yield savings accounts to learn more.
These savings accounts are FDIC insured and could earn you 11x your bank
Many people are missing out on guaranteed returns as their money languishes in a big bank savings account earning next to no interest. Our picks of the best online savings accounts could earn you 11x the national average savings account rate. Click here to uncover the best-in-class accounts that landed a spot on our short list of the best savings accounts for 2024.
FAQs
Here are a few more ways to save $5,000 by the end of 2023: Save $96.16 every week. Save $192.31 every two weeks. Save $416.67 every month.
How to calculate the 52 week money challenge? ›
There are no complicated rules to remember. Week 1, you save $1.00. Week 2 you save $2.00, and it continues through the year, adding one more dollar to each week's savings goal. By Week 52, you'll set aside $52.00, which will bring the year's total savings to $1,378!
How to save $5000 in 3 months with 100 envelopes? ›
The 100-envelope challenge is pretty straightforward: You take 100 envelopes, number each of them and then save the corresponding dollar amount in each envelope. For instance, you put $1 in “Envelope 1,” $2 in “Envelope 2,” and so on. By the end of 100 days, you'll have saved $5,050.
How do you do the 1 to 52 week savings challenge? ›
The 52 week saving challenge - save £1,378
Essentially, you save £1 for each week you are on in the year. So week one = £1 and week 52 = £52. Like the larger daily challenges, this will require other savings efforts as you'll be putting some significant sums of money into your savings pot by the end.
How much is 1 dollar a day for a year? ›
If you saved $1 a day for a year, do you know how much money you'd have? Roughly $30,000. This is totally 100% true.
How to save $5,000 in 3 months challenge? ›
You can save over $5,000 in just over three months with the 100 envelope challenge. It works like this: Gather 100 envelopes and number them from 1 to 100. Each day, fill up one envelope with the amount of cash corresponding to the number on the envelope. You can fill up the envelopes in order or pick them at random.
What is the envelope budget trick? ›
To begin, a good rule to follow is the 50/30/20 method: 50% of funds go to needs, 30% wants and 20% to financial goals. Make an envelope for each category that applies: rent, utilities, phone bill, gas, groceries, emergency, savings and leisure. Put aside cash in each envelope corresponding to the amount used.
What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›
The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
Is 52-week money challenge worth it? ›
The 52-week money challenge not only allows you to save a substantial amount of money by the end of the year, but also offers a number of other benefits: You start with a small, manageable amount, making it less intimidating for beginners.
How to save 5k in 6 months? ›
Cut Unnecessary Expenses From Your Budget
“If they are to cut expenses, start with subscriptions that can be given up for six months and then move to other discretionary income categories: eating out, clothes shopping, entertainment.
Saving just 50 cents a day will get you $18,250 in a year. Let that si...
What is the money challenge formula? ›
Match each week's savings amount with the number of the week in your challenge. In other words, you'll save $1 the first week, $2 the second week, $3 the third week, and so on until you put away $52 in week 52.
How much money should you have at the end of the 52 week challenge? ›
You'll end the challenge with over $1,300 saved If you successfully complete the 52-week money challenge, you'll have $1,378 set aside. You may have that earmarked for a specific financial goal —or you may choose to put it in a high-yield savings account as the start of emergency savings, if you don't already have one.
How to calculate 52 week change? ›
An Example
For example, consider a stock that in the last year traded as high as $12.50, as low as $7.50, and is currently trading at $10. This means the stock is trading 20% below its 52-week high (1 – (10/12.50) = 0.20 or 20%) and 33% above its 52-week low ((10/7.50) - 1 = 0.33 or 33%).