Start Saving Money with this 52 Week Savings Challenge [with printables]

Is saving a regular part of your life? Even with the best intentions, creating a savings plan and sticking to it is difficult! This 52 Week Save Money Challenge lets you choose the amount you want to save, and create new habits to reach your goal.

No matter what your income is, everyone can and should save money. Saving will give you some breathing space for emergencies, avoid debt, and let you do the things you want to do!

Check out Home Business’ 10 benefits of saving money.

Even a small amount saved each week can add up to a $1,000 in the 52 Week Savings Challenge. If you can save more money, you could end up with $5,000 or even $10,000. Get the free printable that’s right for you and your savings goals.

How to decide on a savings goal?

Decide how much do you want to have saved by the end of your 52 week savings challenge? Look at your income and your expenses over the last few weeks, and decide how much you could save each week.

Make sure you check out my top tips below for areas of life that you could easily save money in.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links.

52 WEEK SAVINGS CHALLENGE PRINTABLES!

Once you’ve figured out your savings goals, a big part of saving is creating a savings plan and sticking to it!

In reality, that’s the most difficult bit!

The 52 Week Save Money Challenge free Printables come with four different savings options! All four will be sent to your inbox and you can use the one that is right for you.

Traditional 52 Week Savings Challenge (starting at $1, increase your savings by $1 each week- end up with $1,378 in savings).
$1000 52 Week Savings Challenge
$5000 52 Week Savings Challenge
$10,000 52 Week Savings Challenge

These free printables will help you to engage with the 52 Week Save Money Challenge in a way that’s way more fun and super easy to track. I love the variety in savings challenges- some weeks will require you to save a lot, but for other weeks you save less. I find that this makes saving easier.

Why not give it a try?

HOW TO START SAVING YOUR MONEY

Mobile Phone, Money, Banknotes, Us Dollars, Save Money

So how do you get motivated to actually save?

Motivation comes from truly wanting to save, and knowing exactly why you’re saving or what you’re saving for.

I honestly think that the clearer this is in your head, the easier saving will be.

Maybe you want to save for a wedding, a vacation, a deposit for a house or even for your retirement.

Whatever the reason, keep it firmly in your mind. This will massively help you to make the little everyday decisions that you might need to in order to reach your savings goal.

Where to Keep Your Savings

Don’t keep your savings in your normal bank account! Make sure that each week, you transfer your savings over to a high-interest savings account. Accumulating interest will keep your money working for you and keeps it out of temptations way!

This method will allow you to see your progress at a quick glance. When you see your savings start to build, you’ll realize that your small savings efforts each week add up fast, and that reaching your 52 Week Savings Challenge Goal is entirely possible!

The Best Time to Save

The sooner you start saving, the better. You never know when you might need an emergency fund.

One of my top tips for saving is to transfer the amount you plan to save into your savings account as soon as you get it. When it’s gone from your current account, it’s much less tempting to spend it. It’s almost gone from your mind; the hard part is already done. It makes it much easier to work with what you have leftover, and to make decisions just on the amount you see in your everyday account.

5 Big Areas to Save Money for Your 52 Week Savings Challenge

These are five of the main areas where you can make tweaks to your spending that will still allow you to enjoy life to the full while making big savings!

1. CUT SUBSCRIPTIONS YOU DON’T NEED

One of the best ways to save money every single week is to cut the subscriptions you don’t need.

Are you paying for a lot for subscriptions? Look through your last few weeks of spending to see exactly where your money is going.

If there is anything you aren’t making full use of, cut it!

Look for free alternatives. For example, you can use YouTube for home workouts.

2. DON’T PAY FULL PRICE

Use the library to access free books, DVDs, and even papers. It’s a free facility with so much you can access for nothing.

What about checking out charity shops, secondhand shops or even looking on eBay to find clothing and other things you might need?

I honestly encourage you to give it a try! When you want to save money, this way of shopping can be a lot more fun than you might think. I often find beautiful clothes and even top brands in secondhand shops, but it’s at a hugely reduced price that allows me to save way faster.

3. SAVE MONEY ON FOOD

For me, eating out is a treat. I love the experience and the company, and I’m happy to spend money on it.

What I realized, though, was that I was spending a lot of unnecessary money on food by simply being disorganized. I would run out of time or ingredients to my own lunches or dinners, and end up spending where I didn’t need to. I also didn’t shop for food properly and wasted a lot of what I bought.

This was a total waste of money, and a huge area of potential savings.

If this sounds familiar, check out my 7 Essential Tips to Save Money on Food While Still Loving Life.

4. MAKE YOUR OWN THINGS

Hand-made stuff has gone from seeming ‘cheap’ to being bespoke, unique and tailor-made.

Here are some ideas for things you can make rather than buy:

Greetings Cards- greetings cards are so expensive, but nobody I know actually keeps them! A handmade greeting card is way cuter and individualized- the person you give it to will appreciate the effort, and that it’s tailor made for them.
Gifts- there are so many amazing gifts you can make fairly easily, but make stunning presents. Some of my favourite are things like coasters, soaps, candles, knitted/sewn toys, kids clothes or blankets, or even picture frames. Check out Country Living’s 8 DIY Gifts for some ideas.
Furniture- I know this one sounds scary, but handmade furniture is so on trend! A coffee table, outdoor pallet furniture, a shoe rack or even shelving. You’ll be amazed at how good it can turn out and the compliments you will get for it!

Reconnect with your creative side and make use of all the tutorials out there that will give you new skills and interests while helping you to save money. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this area once I got into it!

5. SAVE MORE MONEY BY INCREASING YOUR INCOME

Remember that saving money is only one part of the picture. When you want to increase your savings, why not look into simple ways to make money? There are so many options to make money online or by working from home.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE?

Are you ready to take the 52 Week Savings Challenge? Get your free printable to get started!

The best part about this challenge is that it creates a savings habit that will help you to stay out of debt, do the things you want to do, and ultimately to become financially free with enough money for retirement.

It’s such a vital thing to think about. Keep your eyes on the reason you are saving money, be motivated as your savings grow, and remember that small amounts add up to make a big difference.

Good luck! Let me know in the comments how your savings challenge is going. Please also share this post if you enjoyed it- every share counts and I’m always super appreciative.

Thanks for reading!

Freya x

Start Saving Money with this 52 Week Savings Challenge [with free printables]