The 52 week savings challenge: how much you save and how to start
The 52 week money challenge is simple: save $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2 and so on until $52 in week 52. Do the whole year and you have $1,378. It is easy to start, but the amounts grow, and many people quit around autumn. This guide covers the chart, the regular vs reverse version, and how to keep going when a week gets tight.
How much you save
The total is 1 + 2 + … + 52 = 1,378 times your first-week amount. Pick week 1 and you have picked your yearly goal.
| Week 1 | Week 52 | Total in a year |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $52 | $1,378 |
| $2 | $104 | $2,756 |
| $5 | $260 | $6,890 |
| $10 | $520 | $13,780 |
Regular vs reverse 52 week challenge
The regular version starts light and ends heavy, so the biggest deposits land in November and December, right when holiday spending peaks.
The reverse version starts at $52 and ends at $1. You make the big deposits while your motivation is high in January and finish the year with small ones. The total is the same.
How to start
- Pick your week 1 amount. Check that you could afford 52 times that in a single week.
- Decide where the money goes: a separate savings account or a physical envelope, not your everyday account.
- Fix a start date and a weekday — the day after payday works well.
- Decide where you track it. "When it is on paper I end up losing it" is a common reason people stop.
Fell behind? Don't follow the order
The most common reason people quit is missing one week and feeling the chart is broken. You do not have to go in order. Fill a small early cell in a tight week and a big late cell when a bonus arrives — the total is exactly the same.
Doing it with Weekjar
Weekjar shows the 52 cells as a grid of coins and lets you fill any of them with a tap. Choose up or reverse, multiply the first cell ×1, ×2, ×5 or ×10, and use your own currency. Reminders come only when a new cell opens and on its last day. If you put in a different amount, long-press the cell to record it. The money goes into your own account or envelope; Weekjar just tracks it.
One cell a week, $1,378 next year
Get Weekjar on Google Play