LIFE AS YOU LIVE IT: 52 Week Money Challenge Update

52 Week Money Challenge Update

02 July 2013



Earlier I posted about my 52 Week Money Challenge here.

Here's a little update on the challenge! Half way there!

26 weeks down, 26 more to go!!

Give it a try! It's so easy to put away some pocket change every week.

Each week of the year, you put away that much in dollars!

EDIT: I have provided a link to Google Docs with the template here!
If you're looking to help your kid save an extra $344.50, you can upload the template that uses quarters here!

MORE TEMPLATES FOR THE 52 WEEK CHALLENGE CAN BE FOUND HERE!

92 comments:

  1. Love this idea! Could work for children,too, with pennies to teach them the value of consistent saving.

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    1. Another way would be to start with a penny on day one, and double the amount every day for a month. Day 1 1 penny, Day 2 2 pennies, Day 3 4 pennies, Day 4 eight Pennies, Day 5 16 pennies....etc., etc., You will need a much bigger jar at the end of thirty days, and a financial planner.

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    2. Yes, because you'd have over 5mil at the end of 30 days...lol

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    3. $5,368,709.12 on Day 30 .. wouldn't that be nice!
      $10,737,418.24 on Day 31

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    4. Yes but can you do the math on how much you would have on day 365????

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    5. i cannot find the document to print. i want to make another jar. thank you it was a great idea.

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  2. Kaylie, love this idea. Any chance you have the spreadsheet link or something. I'm not a spreadsheet guy and I like the look of yours. Want to print several so I can have my three boys try it as well. Thanks Tim

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  3. Hi Susan & Tim! Thank you for the input!! :)
    Tim, I have added a link to Google Docs with the template at the end of this post.

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  4. I am so going to try this! I want some camera equipment and what a great way to save for it!!!

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  5. What an easy way to save without breaking the bank! Thanks for the great idea and the use of the spreadsheet! A year from now I'll link back to you and see how we did!

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  6. I like this, but come December I'd have to put in $200. I never have that much cash left over after I pay my monthly expenses, and especially not in the month of December with Christmas pending. :( Trying to think how I could revamp this to meet my financial picture because it is a good idea.

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    1. You could move backwards...on week 1 put in $52.00 week 2 put in $51.00, that way in December you are only putting in $10.00 plus some people get cash for Christmas so you can use that. If you can't put in the full amount per week...figure out how to put in what you can and dispense the rest at another time!

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    2. I'm starting this next week! There's no law that says you have to follow each week in order. The 23rd week, I might have $42. Or the 37th week, I might can out back $15. I'm going to try and save the lower amounts for weeks where I'm running short. That way, I won't feel pressured to do a certain amount each week.

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    3. Another idea would be to "shuffle" the weeks using the random number generator in Excel. So each week you'd look to see how much that week was. "This week is $40. Whoa!" or "This week is $11. EZ". You'd still have the same amount at the end of the year.

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    4. It also averages out to $26.50 per week to set aside. At the end of the year you would have exactly the same amount.

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    5. You could do it for 26 weeks and then start over. You wouldn't save as much but it would be a start!

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    6. Hey everyone!

      Great Ideas!

      I have added a few more templates (under the "52 Week Money Challenge" tab ) that include saving in dollar increments biweekly (forwards and backwards), and one that is backwards (starting with $52 on week 1, and $1 on week 52).

      Thanks for your input! (:

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    7. I saw this idea in November. I started it the day after Thanksgiving. What I save will be for Christmas next year as I'll finish before black Friday. I love the idea of quarters for kids!

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    8. If having each kiddo do this, and you have more than one kid, you could have one do it forward and one do it backward, that way you're not doubling the $50+ and $40+ weeks.

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    9. And.... stop spending...and I save a lot when I don't buy unless it's made in the USA... Now I have money for that jar....and a new job is created...government can't create a job here if we buy everything from there.

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    10. We have done this for year, or a version of it. We have a giant glass piggy bank that holds thousands of dollars worth of coins. We simply every day, put any change leftover from daily transactions. We put it in a far and when that is full, we put it into the piggy bank. we've paid for many vacations, emergency money needs, etc with that money. We still do it eventhough our grandchildren are almost grown now. Just a good way to save.

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    11. Mrs Yazzie, why $ 200 in December? The most you would ever need to contribute for the year is 52.00 for the 52nd week. Did I miss something? If I did miss something in a thread I apologize in advance.

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    12. There's 4 weeks in December, so it'll be $49,$50,$51,$52
      December =$202

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    13. My son is sooooo excited about doing this! We both have jars and I've passed this idea on to a couple of my friends that have kids!

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  7. I love this. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm going to work on this as my New Year's resolution. Are you on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc.? If so, please stop by my blog and link up with me so I can start following you too! Thanks again.

    www.RealHousewifeHouston.Wordpress.com

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  8. Just got a great jar for this - I am totally doing this. Great way to save more.

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  9. This is fantastic...we've been looking for an "easy" way to teach our kids the value of saving money and I think this will do it!!

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  10. I'm actually doing this challenge in 2014 too, but with a tweak as well: I'm doing it backwards. See, I have more money at the beginning of the year due to Cmas bonus and tax refund (fingers crossed) and less money by year's end b/c of Holidays, school-related expense, etc.

    I didn't think I could do it because of those late year payments, but I realized that turning it around would actually work for me!

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    1. Hi Amanda!

      I just uploaded a template that goes in reverse order.
      Week one you save $52, week two you save $51…

      Hope it helps! (:

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    2. Amanda .. I *totally* like this reversal! I had to stop as it got higher last year but definitely think that begging of year (especially with income tax refund time coming up) is great!

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  11. Love it, but when I try to print out the template. It is all blank.

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    1. I had trouble, too. Then I selected to download the templates first instead of printing it and I was able to not only print the templates, but I saved them too!

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    2. Oh Good!

      I hope that they are able to print for everyone. If you have any other problems, please let me know and I will see if I can change anything in the Google Docs settings.

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  13. H Kaylie thanks for this nice idea. I will translate this zu Euro - and save money! Yeah!
    Beatrice

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  14. Anyway I could get a file of these but editable version? I started mine Nov so that I would have it before the black friday sales lol . So want to adjust the dated some . If you wouldnt mind sending the adult n childs to me @skylersmommy1410@gmail.com

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  15. Reverse the order. Most people have the money in the beginning of the year, but not at Christmas time. Also makes it seem easier.

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    1. Hi Elizabeth!

      I just uploaded a template that does the challenge backwards.
      Week 1 you save $52, Week 2 you save $51, Week 3 you save $50…

      Hope it helps! (:

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    2. Is there a bi weekly version? I really would love to do this but I would need to figure out how to make ur sheet into a bi weekly sheet and im just wondering if u already had and where can i find it?

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    3. Hi Rachael!

      I do have a biweekly template available on Google Docs as well!
      You can find the link under the "52 Week Money Challenge" tab at the top of this page. I have one that goes forwards, and one that goes backwards.

      Let me know if you have problems finding it (:

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  16. Can you repost the template with the $52 starting on the 1st week. It is only showing me the one starting with the $1.00 and the quarters one.
    thank you

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    1. Hi Julie!

      I posted the "backwards" version, and all the other templates under the "52 Week Money Challenge" Tab at the top of this page.

      Let me know if you have trouble with it.

      Thanks! (:

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  17. What a great idea and for those of us on a fixed income it will make saving easier. I am going to do this backwards and start saving for my yearly Thanksgiving vacation this way come November I will only need to add a few dollars not a few hundred. Than you again.

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  18. Hm. Might try this. I might have to do the quarters one, though. My husband and I are both on disability.

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  19. going to try it starting this week.. huhu... hoping to get through it till the end... hheh

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  20. love the idea...want to do it Kenya shillings see how much my lil one likes the new fab way to save. Thanks again :-)

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  21. Okay in the first five weeks you put away a total of $15, but from Nov 26th to Dec 31 you need to put away $250. Not really reasonable in my opinion.

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    1. Hi Laura!

      There is a backwards template available as well if you prefer to save the bigger amounts towards the beginning of the year.

      I'm also working on a shuffled template.

      It certainly is difficult to put away those 50's towards the end of the year though!

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  22. Love the concept of this idea - the outcome is great (ie money saved) but the habit that you gain is the main focus for me. This is a good way to teach adults and children about how even a little saved regularly can add up. Great piece, thanks!

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  23. Hi thnks 4 the idea its g8t. Love it!

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  24. i thnk i'll du it 4 my kids in south african rands 2see hw much they save at end off d year.

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  25. I just think it should be the other way around .. so you put in more in the beginning ... thinking of christmas and gifts etc :)

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    1. Hi Henrik!

      There is a template available as well if you prefer to save the larger amounts first!

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. Do you have a template already created for people who get paid bi-weekly? I'm sure i could create one, but I just thought I'd see if you already have available.

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    1. Hello!

      Yes! I do have a biweekly template available for download as well!
      You can find it under the "52 Week Money Challenge" tab at the top of this page.

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  28. Another way to save is to empty out your pocket change every night, ladies you'd empty out any change in your purses/wallets and put them in a jar. One year we did that and ended up with about $78 within 3 months.

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    1. I do this already. But I donate the money to the local parrot rescue. :)

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  29. And.... stop spending...and I save a lot when I don't buy unless it's made in the USA... Now I have money for that jar....and a new job is created...government can't create a job here if we buy everything from there.

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  30. I can't open the quarter one for some reason. Can someone eexplain?

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  31. Is there one for people that only get psid once a month? Its hard for me to do the weekly one bc I only get paid once a month a disability. . Ideas anyone?

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    1. All you need to do is add up the first four weeks and do that in month 1, the second four weeks for month 2, etc. The amounts would be the same--you'd just be doing it in groups of 4 weeks.
      I am on disability so I am going to do the "childs" one. I don't know any child who has saved $344--I don't know many adults who have that much set aside for an emergency fund. Guess I live in a different world than most of these people... but if I can have $344 by December for Christmas gifts, that will help a lot. I'm also going to start backwards, and if there is a week that I can't do the full amount, I'll swap for a cheaper week. Don't have to follow every rule. :)

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  32. I have done something like this for years. I never pay for anything with change. At the end of the day l put all my change in a jar and every once in awhile the change gets rolled and taken to the bank for paper money. It's amazing how much change you accumulate in a short time. And you always have extra money to buy something you've always wanted or take a trip.

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  33. I think I will do this, but commit to $1 a day. You have $365 at the end of the year. Easy!

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  34. Kaylie,
    This is a great challenge for 2014 too. I made a sheet in Romanian language for me and my friends. It will be fun. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. I can't get either page to load (it's just blank when it does). I found a link that works thru the comments for the 1st one but need one for the quarters page. Anyone have one? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Sasha!

      Try clicking on the "52 Week Money Challenge" tab at the top of the page and see if the link there will open it for you.

      If not, email me, and I can send it to you.

      lifeasyouliveit@gmail.com

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  36. That's when you use the amount of pennys for that nummber day. For example on the first, 1 penny, on the second 2 penny's, on the third 3 penny's, on the fourth 4 penny's, etc. etc.

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  37. how much does this equal if followed correctly in one year?

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    1. If you do the dollar one, you will have saved $1,378 by the end of the year!

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  38. I will try this in a little different way. I will go to week 26, and then, from week 27 in July - backward again. In the end, I will have saved 702 € - and - I do not have to put that much of Euros around Christmas time away. Sounds good to me. :) Thanks for the great idea anyway!

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  39. I was thinking, what if you did something like 10-20-30-40? It would come up to 1300 exactly, but if you couldn't afford to do over $40 each week it would work just as well. You could just rotate through the 10-20-30-40 each week which rounds out to a month. I think it would be a good solution for those who can't put more than 40 back.

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  40. I like the savings idea but like a lot of people comment by the end of the year meeting that amount is rough. I plan on listing all the amounts on my jar and dating then marking off an amount that fits my paycheck. If I have a decent one due to holiday pay, overtime or bonus put in a higher amount. If my check is smaller or an emergency came up put in one of the smaller amounts. Always making shre to date and x it. This way there is less of a strain. Thanks so much for the idea.

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  41. a better method that I designed. one dollar on sunday, increase one dollar every day until seven dollar on saturday. repeat the same next week. not burdened on december. get the table here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Q_4ry4aOoCSG1jYUg1STk3ZHM/edit?usp=sharing

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  42. I wrote about your system and templates for our nonprofit's blog - nairobikids.blogspot.com. We sponsor the education of impoverished kids in the slums of Nairobi and have been working to raise the money to build more classrooms. I think this is a fun way to challenge yourself to raise money for a cause you believe in, and it is easily tailored to your budget as you could use quarters, dimes or nickels as well.

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  43. I am doing this challenge with my family the only difference we made is that I got a big food storage metal can, washed it, dried It,then I glued the bottom back into it. We put a hole in the top with a knife, and I let my kids paint it.then we glued the template on to the front of it.
    This way I don't have to worry about anybody with sticky fingers dipping in the jar. Thanks again for the great idea!

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  44. Nice idea but it assumes you have a large amount of 'spare' change. If you have that much money why not set up a regular bank payment into a savings account?

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  45. I LOVE this idea! My co-workers and I are all doing it. Barbados....here I come (in a year)!!!! Lol! THANKS!

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  46. I made a spreadsheet version in case people want to play with the numbers and have it auto-update: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/166Q8HJSuRPOSBtcS_fHBkhSXenu80dP1CxFJHjlqBcU/edit?usp=sharing

    Great thing you made here, I love it!

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  47. I use to save some money and put it to my piggy bank in home. It will very much help me to spend it in difficult time. I use it in bad time when their is not any option for money.

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  48. I can't find the post. Where is it?

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