Savings challenges100 envelopes
100 envelope challenge
A chart of 100 envelope outlines in ten rows of ten, each labeled with a dollar amount. You stuff cash into the matching paper envelope, cross off its box here, and keep going until all 100 are done. The scale option changes the amounts.
- Type your details or print blank
- Print or PDF, Letter or A4
- Free, no sign-up
On this page
What prints
The title 100 Envelope Challenge is centered at the top, with a "Saving for" line. The body is a 10 by 10 grid. Every cell is drawn as a little envelope with a flap, and inside it is a printed amount, bold, going from the smallest in the top-left corner to the largest in the bottom-right.
Underneath, a bold line reads "Cross off an envelope each time you save that amount. All 100 add up to ..." with the total for your scale. A smaller line says one a day takes about 100 days, and two a week takes about a year.
The settings
- Saving for. A purpose, shown on the sheet.
- Dollars per envelope number. $1 per number runs $1 to $100 and saves $5,050. 50 cents per number runs 50¢ to $50 and saves $2,525. $2 per number runs $2 to $200 and saves $10,100.
How to run it
Buy or label 100 paper envelopes, number them, and mix them in a box. Pull one at random, put in that amount, and cross it off on your sheet. Random draws keep it fun, but you can also go in order.
Because the printed amounts match the envelope numbers, you never need to do sums. Some people keep the cash at home. Others prefer to move the money into a savings account each time they cross a box off, which keeps it from being spent.
The challenge works well as a family project, with each person taking a row of ten.
Worked example: the $1 scale
The total comes from 1 + 2 + ... + 100 = 100 × 101 ÷ 2 = 5,050, times the scale. At $1 that is $5,050. At 50 cents it is 5,050 × 0.50 = $2,525, and at $2 it is 5,050 × 2 = $10,100.
Look at the $1 scale in halves. Envelopes 1 to 50 hold 50 × 51 ÷ 2 = $1,275. Envelopes 51 to 100 hold 5,050 − 1,275 = $3,775. So the second half holds nearly three times as much, which is why many savers draw big envelopes while pay is fresh.
Another trick: pair 1 with 100, 2 with 99, and so on. Each pair is $101, and there are 50 pairs, so 50 × 101 = $5,050. At the 50-cent scale, envelope 37 is $18.50 and envelope 100 is $50.
Ways to adapt it
If $5,050 is out of reach, the 50-cent scale keeps all 100 envelopes but halves every amount. You can also split the grid between two people, or run it alongside a regular savings plan. A cross through each box, in ink, gives a satisfying record when the grid fills up.
A short disclaimer
Cash in envelopes can be lost or stolen, so think about where it lives. This page is a tracking game and carries no financial recommendation.