52-WEEK · 100 ENVELOPES · SINKING FUNDS

Savings challenge tracker: 52-week, 100 envelope and custom

Free savings challenge tracker: 52-week ($1,378), 100 envelope ($5,050), 26-week or your own goal. Tap each box as you save, then print it or save a PNG.

Colored envelopes with folded bills, a piggy bank, a grid with half the boxes shaded blue, a jar of coins and coffee on an ivory table under a seaside town

The short answer

The 52-week savings challenge saves $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2 and so on up to $52 in week 52, which adds up to $1,378 in a year. The 100 envelope challenge fills envelopes numbered 1 to 100 in any order for $5,050. Pick a challenge, tap each box as you save and print the chart.

Which savings challenge should you pick?

Challenge	How it works	Total	Best for
52-week savings challenge	Save the week number: $1 in week 1 up to $52 in week 52	$1,378	A slow start that grows with the habit
Reverse 52-week	$52 in week 1 down to $1 in week 52	$1,378	Saving hard while motivation is high; light December
52-week at $5 steps	$5, $10, $15 … $260	$6,890	A bigger goal, like a car repair fund
100 envelope challenge	Fill envelopes 1 to 100 in random order	$5,050	Variety; days when you can only manage a small one
50 envelope challenge	Envelopes 1 to 50 only	$1,275	A shorter first try
26-week challenge	One deposit per two-week paycheck, $10 steps	$3,510	People paid every two weeks
Custom goal	Your goal ÷ the weeks or months until you need it	Your goal	A set amount by a set date
Savings tracker	Several funds, each with a target and a due date	Your funds	Sinking funds for bills that come once or twice a year

The totals come from simple sums: 1 + 2 + … + 52 = 52 × 53 ÷ 2 = 1,378, and 1 + 2 + … + 100 = 100 × 101 ÷ 2 = 5,050. Change the step and the total scales with it: $2 steps double the 52-week total to $2,756.

52-week savings challenge chart

The classic version at $1 steps, with the running total at the end of each week.

Week	Save	Total	Week	Save	Total	Week	Save	Total	Week	Save	Total
1	$1	$1	14	$14	$105	27	$27	$378	40	$40	$820
2	$2	$3	15	$15	$120	28	$28	$406	41	$41	$861
3	$3	$6	16	$16	$136	29	$29	$435	42	$42	$903
4	$4	$10	17	$17	$153	30	$30	$465	43	$43	$946
5	$5	$15	18	$18	$171	31	$31	$496	44	$44	$990
6	$6	$21	19	$19	$190	32	$32	$528	45	$45	$1,035
7	$7	$28	20	$20	$210	33	$33	$561	46	$46	$1,081
8	$8	$36	21	$21	$231	34	$34	$595	47	$47	$1,128
9	$9	$45	22	$22	$253	35	$35	$630	48	$48	$1,176
10	$10	$55	23	$23	$276	36	$36	$666	49	$49	$1,225
11	$11	$66	24	$24	$300	37	$37	$703	50	$50	$1,275
12	$12	$78	25	$25	$325	38	$38	$741	51	$51	$1,326
13	$13	$91	26	$26	$351	39	$39	$780	52	$52	$1,378

How to stick with a savings challenge

Pick the amount you can keep in your worst month, not your best. A challenge you finish at $1 steps beats one you drop at $5.
Make it automatic. The CFPB's emergency fund guide suggests recurring transfers so saving happens without a decision each week. Set one for the day after payday, then tick the box here.
Give the money a job. An emergency fund, a trip or next year's car insurance. The Federal Reserve's 2025 survey found 55% of adults had three months of expenses set aside, so a named goal is a common and realistic first step.
Keep it where it is safe but not in your way. A separate savings account at a bank or credit union is the usual choice. Deposits at FDIC-insured banks are insured up to $250,000; cash in envelopes at home is not, so move large amounts to the bank.
Missed a week? Tick a smaller box instead, or catch up next payday. The order does not matter as long as every box gets filled.

Saving what you do not spend works too: a no spend challenge frees up money for the next box. For bills that arrive once or twice a year, read the sinking funds guide and use the tracker above to split each one into monthly amounts.

This page is about saving habits and gives general information only, not financial or investment advice. The amounts you type stay on your device.

Frequently asked questions

How does the 52-week savings challenge work?

You save the week number in dollars: $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2, up to $52 in week 52, for $1,378 in total. Double it ($2 × week) for $2,756, or use $5 × week for $6,890. Pick the week 1 amount above and the chart updates.

What is the reverse 52-week challenge?

The same amounts in the opposite order: $52 in week 1 down to $1 in week 52. The total is still $1,378, but the biggest deposits come early while you are most motivated, and the small ones land in the busy weeks at the end of the year. Choose Biggest first.

How does the 100 envelope challenge work?

Number 100 envelopes from 1 to 100. Each day, or whenever you can, pick one at random and put in that many dollars. When all 100 are filled you have $5,050. Use Pick an envelope to draw a random one that is still empty, then tap Fill it.

How long does the 100 envelope challenge take?

One envelope a day takes 100 days and averages $50.50 a day, which is a lot for most budgets. Two envelopes a week takes 50 weeks and averages about $101 a week. Go at the pace your budget allows, or pick the $0.50 step for a $2,525 half version.

What is the 26-week savings challenge?

A version for people paid every two weeks: you save once per paycheck, 26 times a year, and each deposit grows by the same step. At $10 steps that is $10, $20, up to $260, for $3,510. Choose the step above.

How do I make my own savings challenge?

Choose Custom goal, enter how much you want to save, the date you need it by and how often you save. The tracker divides the goal evenly (the last deposit takes any rounding) and gives you a box for every week, two weeks or month.

Where should I keep the money I save?

Government guides such as the CFPB suggest somewhere safe that you will not dip into by accident, like a separate savings account at a bank or credit union. Deposits at FDIC-insured banks are insured up to $250,000; cash at home is not. This page gives general information, not financial advice.

Can I track several savings goals at once?

Yes. Choose Savings tracker to list several funds, like car repairs, holidays or insurance, each with a target, the amount saved and an optional due date. It shows how much to save each month to be ready on time. Our sinking funds guide explains how to size them.

Is my savings data sent anywhere?

No. Your amounts, ticks and funds stay in this browser on this device. There is no sign-up, and the amounts are never sent to our server. Print or save an image to keep a copy.

Sources and evidence

Federal Reserve: Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (May 2026) — 63% of adults said they would cover a $400 emergency expense with cash or its equivalent, and 55% had set aside emergency savings for three months of expenses, unchanged from 2024 and down from 59% in 2021.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: An essential guide to building an emergency fund — Start small, set a savings goal, make saving automatic with recurring transfers, and keep the money somewhere safe but not too easy to spend.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Savings plan tool (Your Money, Your Goals) — A savings plan divides the total amount needed by the months to reach the goal, for example $1,000 in 10 months is $100 a month, and names a safe place to keep the savings.
FDIC: Understanding deposit insurance — Deposits at FDIC-insured banks are insured up to at least $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category; only money on deposit at an insured bank is covered.
Harkin et al. (2016): Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? — Across 138 studies, monitoring progress improved goal attainment, more so when progress was physically recorded, as on a chart you fill in.

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