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Savings challenges52 weeks

52-week savings challenge

A year-long savings chart where week 1 deposits one step, week 2 deposits two steps, and so on up to week 52. The deposit and the running total for every week are already printed, so all you do is tick each week off, and you can flip the order to start with the biggest deposit.

By Paul Gunder. Free to print for home, classroom and office use; see how our printables are made.

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52-Week Savings Challenge1 page · US Letter

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52-Week Savings ChallengeSaving forWeekDepositTotal savedDone1$1$12$2$33$3$64$4$105$5$156$6$217$7$288$8$369$9$4510$10$5511$11$6612$12$7813$13$9114$14$10515$15$12016$16$13617$17$15318$18$17119$19$19020$20$21021$21$23122$22$25323$23$27624$24$30025$25$32526$26$351WeekDepositTotal savedDone27$27$37828$28$40629$29$43530$30$46531$31$49632$32$52833$33$56134$34$59535$35$63036$36$66637$37$70338$38$74139$39$78040$40$82041$41$86142$42$90343$43$94644$44$99045$45$1,03546$46$1,08147$47$1,12848$48$1,17649$49$1,22550$50$1,27551$51$1,32652$52$1,378Week 1: $1. Week 52: $52. Total after 52 weeks: $1,378.PrintablePal.com · free printable money templates52-Week Savings Challenge
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On this page

What prints

The title is 52-Week Savings Challenge, centered, with a "Saving for" line. Below are two tables side by side, weeks 1 to 26 on the left and 27 to 52 on the right. Each has the columns Week, Deposit, Total saved and Done, and the first three are printed for you. The Done column is an empty checkbox.

A bold line at the foot gives the figures that matter, for example: "Week 1: $1. Week 52: $52. Total after 52 weeks: $1,378."

This is the one money page where numbers are printed, because the schedule is fixed. Nothing is calculated from what you type in; only the settings below change the table.

The settings

  • Saving for. A short label such as "Holiday gifts".
  • Week 1 deposit. $1, $2, $5 or $10. These save $1,378, $2,756, $6,890 and $13,780 over the year.
  • Biggest deposits first. Flips the order so week 1 is the largest and week 52 is the smallest.

How the challenge works

Week n deposits n times the step. At the $1 step, week 1 is $1, week 10 is $10 and week 52 is $52. The total is the step times 1,378, because 1 + 2 + ... + 52 = 52 × 53 ÷ 2 = 1,378.

The catch is that deposits grow just when budgets feel stretched. The reverse option fixes that: you save the large amounts while motivation is fresh, and the final weeks cost almost nothing. If a week gets missed, skip the box and catch up at the next payday instead of giving up.

You could also treat tax refunds or other windfalls as a way to jump ahead a few weeks.

Worked example: the $5 step

At a $5 step, week 1 is $5, week 2 is $10 and week 10 is $50. Week 26 is 26 × 5 = $130, and the running total there is 5 × (26 × 27 ÷ 2) = 5 × 351 = $1,755. Week 52 is 52 × 5 = $260, and the year ends at 5 × 1,378 = $6,890.

With the biggest deposits first, week 1 is $260 and week 52 is $5. After 26 weeks the total is already 5 × (1,378 − 351) = 5 × 1,027 = $5,135. The last 26 weeks add 5 × 351 = $1,755, which brings it to the same $6,890.

Making it stick

Pick a day for the weekly deposit, such as payday, and set a phone reminder. Tick the Done box right after you transfer the money. Many savers keep the sheet on the fridge or inside a planner, which makes each tick a small reward. Pair it with a separate account so the balance is easy to match against the Total saved column.

Check your limits

Choose a step you can keep up without missing rent. This chart is a savings game, not advice, and it leaves out interest your account may earn.

Sources

  1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Building your savings, start with small goals files.consumerfinance.gov
  2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: An essential guide to building an emergency fund consumerfinance.gov