52 Week Money Challenge -Join the Weekly Challenge

Do you have a difficult time saving money? Who doesn’t, right? Actually, a lot people have a difficult time with feeding the pig.

The struggle is real. And mostly, it is because so many us want instant satisfaction and learning how to SAVE money can be like pulling teeth. Maybe, somewhere along the way we weren’t taught the fundamentals of saving moolah. And I am not just talking about saving money on our weekly grocery bills, but learning how to actually save and put money away for the long haul. There are many reasons for socking away money: building a rainy day fund, saving up a down payment to purchase your first home,  saving for a vacation or to pay for Christmas next year.

Maybe you rock at saving money short term, but are you up for a real challenge- a money saving challenge?

Well, I have a super EASY way for you to achieve your money saving goals. It’s called the 52 Week Money Challenge.

52 Week Money Challenge -Join the Weekly Challenge

This challenge isn’t anything new, as a matter of fact, it has been floating around the Internet for several years. I came across it about 3 years ago and started to do it, but…

I failed after a few weeks.

My biggest reason for failure was the concept of using those money jars. I would put my money in the jars faithfully each week. But, then I found myself dipping into them for lunch money, pizza money, etc. You get the picture.

In 2013 I decided to do it again. About halfway through the process, I switched up how I thought about this challenge. Instead of following the 52-week money challenge to a T, I changed it up a bit.

Pro tip: This is what worked for me and how I do it now: I came up with a dollar amount that worked best for my budget. AND I decided to put the money into a bank account instead of the money jars. I set aside $20 dollars to be transferred into a separate savings account each week. That worked.

By doing so I was able to pay for our Christmas with the savings that came from my 52-week money challenge.

So, I decided to do it again in 2014. And again it was successful, it paid for Christmas.

I use this money saving challenge as an extra way to save money, in addition to what our family already saves in separate savings accounts.

For 2015, I started hitting the ground running with this challenge. I was able to save over $2000 by May. However, when my husband went on medical leave, I stopped doing the challenge and used that money along with money from our savings to keep up afloat. I was GRATEFUL to have the extra cash for those rainy months. This challenge WORKS!

Why should You join the 52-week money savings challenge?

Most families are on the constant look out for ways to save more money. This challenge is easy and doesn’t require you to do a lot each week. It starts out with just saving a $1 on the first week. Or, if you’re doing the challenge in reverse, then $52 bucks.

It’s an easy way to save money and it does work if you apply just a little self-discipline and you are determined to save money.  And having a goal is a good way reach your saving objective. Below are a few saving goals:

• You can use the money you saved to pay for your Christmas at the end of the year.
• Go on a vacation
• Jump-start a college fund
• Pay off debt
• Buy a car
• This could be your first time actually saving money in a bank account

The reasons for saving extra money are endless!But the key is getting started!

People tend to do better when faced with a challenge (of any kind).

Here’s how you can be successful with this money saving challenge:

1. First, sign up for my weekly 52 week challenge newsletter. Each week you will get a money saving tip and a reminder to put away a specific amount for that week.
2. Decide how much money you will set aside each week (or every 2 weeks). You can follow the 52-week money challenge to a T, or you can come up with an amount that works best for YOUR budget!
3. Create a separate bank account for this money saving challenge. You can even check your bank to see if they have a savings/Christmas fund where you cannot touch the money till a certain time of year.
4. Start changing the way you think about saving money. Throughout the course of 2015 we will talk about different ways you can save money (and sometimes its not even about going totally extreme with it!)
5. Don’t forget to download a copy of the 52 week calendar/savings calculator so you can easily keep track of your savings. (a printable and electronic version are available)
6. *new* I have created several different printables/trackers for you to use and create your own 52-week challenge! You can check out the 52 week challenge printables and decide how you want to join this challenge!

 Why should you join this 52 week money savings challenge?

• You will receive a weekly email reminder telling you to make your deposit into the bank or jar
• You will also receive a weekly savings tip on a way that you can save that week.
• You will receive inspiring stories and ways to save money each week!
• Many people and blogs start out doing this challenge within their communities. But by March, most have fallen off the bandwagon. As you can see, by just looking at our 52 weekly challenge archive, you can see that we kept up with it each week.
• I’ve personally and successfully completed this money saving challenge two years in a row! I am doing this challenge right along with you and to encourage you along the way. And if you need to tweak it to fit your families needs, save more, etc. then I am here to help you with that too!

So, let’s get started! Sign up today to start receiving the 52 week money saving challenge newsletter!

You may say, “Well, I don’t have any extra money. I can barely squeeze out money to pay for our groceries!”

I say to you… Look for ways to make extra money. The ability to earn extra cash is out there and waiting for you to claim it, all you have to do is find it.

• Signing up for Ibotta– which gives you $$ back after buying certain products (quite a few products that you may already use) You can find more cashback apps HERE
• Signing up and doing online surveys to earn quick cash- check out this growing list!
• Look around your house and see what you can sell at the consignment shops, used video game stores/electronics, Craigslist, eBay and Facebook, etc.
• Do extra chores for neighbors, family members or friends to score a few extra bucks
• Give Blood, definitely will put anywhere between $20-$60 in your pocket
• 60 ways to save money
• Throughout the course of the year, I will be sharing with you tips on how to make extra money when you sign up for the weekly 52 week challenge newsletter.

So let’s go! Let’s kick off 2019 by taking steps to be financially smarter when you join this 52-week money saving challenge!