52-week money challenge guide | Fidelity (2025)

A guide to saving throughout the year.

Fidelity Smart Money

52-week money challenge guide | Fidelity (1)

Key takeaways

  • The 52-week challenge starts with saving just $1. If you stick with it, you could have more than $1,300 by the end of the year.
  • Review the various account options for your savings.
  • Savings challenges are meant to complement, not replace, larger savings guidelines.

By this time next year, you could have an extra $1,300 in savings. And all you need is $1 to start. Meet the 52-week money challenge—a simple plan that could help you turn relatively small weekly savings throughout the year into a tidy sum.

What is the 52-week money challenge?

The 52-week money challenge could help you build a savings habit by putting away an amount of money that corresponds to the week you save it.

So, start with $1 in week 1. In week 2, save $2. In week 3, save $3. In the last week, save $52—you’ll have stashed away a total of $1,378.

52-week money challenge*

52-week money challenge guide | Fidelity (2)

* For educational purposes only. The illustration assumes the contributions are made weekly and added to each subsequent week for 52 weeks.

How to do the 52-week money challenge

To do the 52-week money challenge most effectively, you’ll want to pick an account to park your savings in. You could opt for a normal checking or savings account. Or you can consider the following options that may be offered at banks or other financial institutions.

  • A high-yield savings account. Think of this as the savings account you already know and love—with an extra kick. As the name implies, the interest rates you’ll find on high-yield savings accounts typically exceed the national average, which can help your savings grow. High-yield savings accounts are generally available with FDIC insurance.
  • A cash management account. Cash management accounts are a special type of brokerage account that functions kind of like a hybrid checking and savings account. They also allow you to buy securities including certificates of deposit (CDs)—investments that generally pay a set rate of interest over a fixed time period.
  • An investment account. Whether you opt for a regular taxable brokerage account or a tax-advantaged retirement account like an individual retirement account (IRA) , investing your money, while risk of loss is involved, could give it a chance to grow over time. You may associate these types of accounts with investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, andmoney market funds.

Advantages of the 52-week money challenge

It establishes a savings habitWhether you’re a long-term saver looking to spice things up or you’re just getting started with your savings journey, trying (and sticking with) the 52-week money challenge can help cement a savings habit. After a year of regularly saving money, you may find yourself more motivated to continue saving going forward.

Keep in mind that ideally the 52-week challenge isn’t your entire savings strategy, but a complement to it. You’ll still want to work toward saving Fidelity’s suggestion of at least 15% of your pre-tax income for retirement including any company match and 5% of your post-tax income for short-term savings.

52-week money challenge guide | Fidelity (3)

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It may highlight your spending habits If you aren’t a natural saver, the idea of saving $52 in the final week of the challenge may seem like way too much. But saving $1 in the first week sounds doable. The 52-week money challenge allows you to work up to that milestone after a year of building your saving habit. If your budget is tight today, you have plenty of time to figure out how to free up more money to save. Check out our guide on how to budget to start getting a handle on your spending and saving.

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.

You can personalize it to fit your needs and goals While the formula laid out above is the most common way to complete it, it isn’t the only way. You can customize it to help you reach your personal money goals and preferences. For example, if you want a hands-off approach to the challenge, you could automate a transfer from your checking to savings account for $26.50 each week and wind up with the same amount. You can also adjust the amount you contribute so you have more than $1,378 at the end of the year.

Also, you don’t have to align the 52-week challenge to any particular time of year. But it can also be a New Year’s resolution if you want to focus on saving.

Saved some money? Now put it to work.

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52-week money challenge guide | Fidelity (2025)

FAQs

How much money do you save with the 52-week challenge? ›

For anyone trying to improve their savings in 2024, the 52-week money challenge is a simple and effective way to stay on track. And at the end of the year, you'll have $1,378 extra dollars to bulk up your emergency savings or put toward a savings goal, such as a vacation fund or a down payment on a home.

How to save $5000 in 3 months with 100 envelopes? ›

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.

How can I save $5000 with the 52-week money challenge? ›

Here are a few more ways to save $5,000 by the end of 2023:
  1. Save $96.16 every week.
  2. Save $192.31 every two weeks.
  3. Save $416.67 every month.
  4. Save $1,250 every quarter.
  5. Save $2,500 every six months.
Jan 5, 2023

Is the 52-week challenge worth it? ›

The 52-week savings plan

But know that this savings plan is effective, and it can help you sock away more than a thousand dollars in a year — $1,378 to be exact. You could build up even more if you put the funds in a high-yield savings account. Doing the challenge takes commitment, but it's easy to start.

How much will I have if I save $10 dollars a day for a year? ›

Investing $10 a day could grow your money much more than you think. Your $10 a day adds up to $3,650 invested each year. As your invested funds earn returns, you benefit from compound growth and can grow your net worth dramatically over time.

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.

Does the 100 envelope challenge really work? ›

“At the end of the day, it's another fad that doesn't promote a sustainable saving practice ― and the $5,050 isn't guaranteed,” Howard said. “Some might find it difficult to remember to complete the challenge each day and fall behind on the goal to save in 100 days.”

How to save $1,000 in 30 days? ›

In this guide, we'll walk you through seven proven tips to help you save $1,000 in 30 days (or potentially even more).
  1. Assess your current financial situation and set clear goals. ...
  2. Create a budget and track your spending. ...
  3. Identify specific areas to reduce spending. ...
  4. Consider other ways to save money. ...
  5. Automate your savings.
Jun 4, 2024

How to save $10,000 in a year with envelopes? ›

Stay motivated and on track to reach your $10K savings goal by tracking your progress. In this version of the challenge, each envelope has a different amount for you to choose from. As you save, color in 1 envelope a day for 100 days or 2 per week for 50 weeks.

What is the 5 10 15 dollar challenge? ›

Each time you save shade each circle of any 5, 10, 15 dollar, to save the full 1070 in your own time. Saving can be hard but with this you can make it a fun challenge. Safe enough a week to add to the savings pot. Get healthier with your finances and savings.

What is the 52 week rule? ›

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!

What is the 365 day money challenge? ›

Having a limited budget isn't a good enough reason not to save. With the 365-day penny challenge, you'll set aside a penny amount based on the day. For instance, day 1 – one penny, day 2 – two pennies, so on a so forth until the end of the year. At which point, you'll have almost $668 in the bank.

What is the best money saving challenge? ›

In the 26-week biweekly money-saving challenge, you can save $1,404 in a year by depositing an increasing amount every other week. Start with $4 on the first week and $8 on the second. Add an extra $4 every two weeks until you deposit $106 on week 26.

What is the 52-week strategy? ›

When the stock price trades reach and close near its 52-week high, the traders expect that the price will trade lower in the future as the 52-week high is considered the resistance level. As a result, many traders book their profits because they believe that the prices may reverse from the resistance level.

What is the 2 dollar a week savings challenge? ›

The 52-week money challenge could help you build a savings habit by putting away an amount of money that corresponds to the week you save it. So, start with $1 in week 1. In week 2, save $2. In week 3, save $3.

How much do you save with the 100 envelope challenge? ›

Take stock of your savings At the end of 100 days, you'll have 100 envelopes containing $5,050. That's right—1 + 2 + 3 + 4 and every other number through 100 equals just over $5,000.

How do you do the 52 week savings challenge in pounds? ›

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 to save $10,000 in a year challenge? ›

To reach $10,000 in one year, you'll need to save $833.33 each month. To break it down even further, you'll need to save $192.31 each week or $27.40 every day. These smaller chunks are much more realistic and simple to comprehend, making it easier to track your progress.

How much money will I make if I save $50 a week for a year? ›

If you invest $50 per week, that's the equivalent of $200 per month, or approximately $2,400 per year. Over a 30-year period, that would result in more than $72,000 in savings. It's a good chunk of savings, but it isn't a life-changing amount. This is where the power of compounding comes into play.

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