Woman putting money into a piggy bank

10 Awesome Money Saving Challenges to Help Boost Your Savings

I make money on some of the products and services I mention on Thinking Frugal through affiliate relationships. I never endorse a product or service unless I believe it will benefit my readers.

Saving money can sometimes be difficult, but itโ€™s definitely not impossible. In fact, there are a lot of different ways that you can go about saving money โ€“ and Iโ€™m not just talking about clipping coupons.

Itโ€™s important to have savings, and participating in a money-saving challenge can be a fun and easy way to save money. In this blog post, I will discuss ten money-saving challenges that can help you boost your savings. These challenges are meant to be fun and motivating, so donโ€™t be afraid to give them a try.

What is a Money Saving Challenge?

A money-saving challenge is a plan to save a specific amount of money over a certain period of time. Typically, the goal is to save up for a large purchase, such as a down payment on a house or a new car. However, it can also be helpful to use a money-saving challenge to build up an emergency fund or pay off debt. 

The key to success is to have a clear goal and a plan for how you will reach it. For example, you may decide to save $50 per week for 52 weeks in order to reach your goal. To stay on track, you may want to set up automatic transfers from your checking account to your savings account or set aside cash each week in a designated jar. By following a plan and staying disciplined, you can reach your financial goals.  

Make an Extra $100+ Per Month for Free:

Earnably: Earn gift cards or PayPal cash to watch videos, complete surveys, and more.
GrabPoints: Earn money watching videos, completing surveys, downloading apps, and more.
Ibotta: Get paid to shop.
InboxDollars: Get paid to watch videos, shop, complete surveys, and more.
InstaGC: Earn gift cards, or PayPal cash by watching videos, taking surveys, shopping, and more.
Swagbucks: Earn gift cards, or PayPal cash by watching videos, taking surveys, shopping, and more. 

Woman putting money into a piggy bank

10 Fun Money Saving Challenges

1) Spare Change Challenge

The spare change challenge is simple: every time you get change back from a purchase, put it in a jar. At the end of the month, take out the money and put it in your savings account or an emergency fund.

This is a great way to start saving money because it requires very little effort, and you can do it without changing your spending habits. Plus, itโ€™s a painless way to sock away some extra cash each month. Try it for yourself and see how much you can save. The key is to not touch the money in between; if you do, it defeats the purpose of the challenge.

2) No Spend Challenge

For this challenge, you commit to not spending any money for a set period of time, usually 30 days at first. This can be a great way to break bad spending habits and get your finances in order. To make this challenge more fun, you can turn it into a competition with friends or family members. Whoever spends the least amount of money during the challenge wins. 

There are many ways to save money during the challenge. For example, instead of going out to eat, you can cook at home, go for walks instead of going to the movies, and borrow books from the library instead of buying them new. By following these simple tips, you can easily save hundreds of dollars during the no-spend challenge.

3) 52 Week Money Savings Challenge

The 52-week money savings challenge is a great way to save money. Every week, you put away a certain amount of money, starting with $1 the first week, $2 the second week, and so on. By the end of the year, youโ€™ll have saved $1,378. 

This is a great way to save for a rainy day fund or for a specific goal, like a vacation. Plus, itโ€™s easy to get started โ€“ all you need is a jar or envelope to keep your savings in. 

4) Weather Savings Challenge

The weather savings challenge is simple: for every degree that you lower your thermostat in the winter or raise it in the summer, you save money on your energy bill. The amount you save depends on how much energy your home uses, but you can usually expect to see savings of 1-3%. So, if your goal is to save $100 on your energy bill this year, you would need to lower your thermostat by 10-30 degrees.

Of course, this isnโ€™t always practical (or comfortable), which is why the challenge also recommends taking other measures to improve your homeโ€™s energy efficiency. For example, setting a timer so that your thermostat only kicks in when youโ€™re actually home, and making sure that your home is well-insulated. 

5) The 100 Envelope Challenge

The 100 Envelope Challenge is a fun money-saving challenge that involves filling envelopes with cash. Get 100 envelopes and write a number from 1 to 100 on each one. Once a day, randomly select an envelope. Whatever the number is on that envelope, put that amount of cash inside and seal the envelope. 

When youโ€™re out of envelopes and 100 days have passed, each envelope will be filled with cash and you can take it to the bank and deposit it in your savings account.

6) $5 Savings Challenge

The premise is simple: save $5 every day for a set amount of time. Thatโ€™s it! You decide if you want to save for 30 days or one year. But if you keep up the challenge for multiple months, youโ€™ll be surprised at how quickly your savings add up.  

There are a few different ways to approach the $5 savings challenge. One option is to set aside $5 each day in a jar or piggy bank and deposit the money when your time is up. Another is to transfer $5 into a savings account each day. No matter how you approach the challenge, the longer you do it, the more youโ€™ll save.

7) 365-Day Nickel-Saving Challenge

The 365-day nickel saving challenge is a great way to save money. Start day one by putting five cents into a jar. On day two, put ten cents into the jar. On day three, add 15 cents to the jar. Continue adding a nickel each day for 365 days. At the end of one year, youโ€™ll have saved $3,339.75.

The purpose of this challenge is to show that anyone can make progress by saving even a small amount of change each day. Itโ€™s a great way to save if you donโ€™t have a lot of extra money because it doesnโ€™t take much time or effort to save up your nickels. All you need is a jar and some patience. Plus, itโ€™s a great way to teach kids about saving money and being responsible with their finances. 

8) 26-Week Biweekly Savings Challenge

The 26-week biweekly savings challenge is a great way to save money if youโ€™re paid biweekly. Just substitute a week for a pay period. It works like this: you save $1 the first pay period, $2 the second pay period, $3 on the third pay period, and so on. By the end of the 26 weeks (pay periods), you will have saved $351.00. The best part is that you donโ€™t have to make any major lifestyle changes to participate in the challenge.  

This challenge can be started at any time, and you can use it to save for any purpose. Whether youโ€™re looking to build up an emergency fund or want to start investing for the future, the 26-week biweekly savings challenge can help you.

9) Pantry Challenge

One way to save money is to take the pantry challenge. This simply means eating the foods that you have on hand before going out and buying more. It can be a fun way to get creative with your meals and use up ingredients that you might otherwise throw away. 

For example, if you have half a bag of rice and a can of black beans, you could make a simple rice and beans dish. Or, if you have some bread thatโ€™s starting to go stale, you could turn it into croutons or breadcrumbs.

The pantry challenge can help you save money and waste less food. Give it a try the next time youโ€™re looking to save some money on your grocery bill.

10) No Eating Out Challenge

The no eating out challenge is a simple way to save money. You commit to not eating out at restaurants for a week or even a month. This means cooking all your meals at home and packing your lunch to take with you if you are away from home during meal times. 

The challenge can be tailored to fit your lifestyle โ€“ if you usually eat out for breakfast, then you would cook breakfast at home during the challenge. If you usually eat out for lunch and dinner, then you would cook all three meals at home. The point is to save money by not eating out, so you can adjust the challenge to whatever will work best for you. 

There are a few things to keep in mind if youโ€™re thinking of doing the no eating out challenge:

  1. Make sure you have enough time to cook all your meals at home. If youโ€™re short on time, then you might want to consider a different challenge.
  2. Make sure you have enough food at home to last the week (or month). This means doing a bit of meal planning and grocery shopping in advance.
  3. Be prepared to get creative with your meals.

Eating at home can be a fun way to try new foods, so you might have to get creative with your cooking if youโ€™re used to eating out often. But thatโ€™s all part of the fun.

Final Thoughts 

The benefits of completing a money-saving challenge are numerous. First and foremost, youโ€™ll save money. This can be a great way to pad your savings account or pay down debt. Additionally, youโ€™ll learn how to be more frugal and live within your means. Finally, youโ€™ll have a sense of accomplishment from completing the challenges. These skills can be helpful in the long run, especially if you find yourself in a financial bind. 

So if youโ€™re up for a challenge, give one of these money-saving challenges a try. You might be surprised at how much you can save. And who knows, you might even have some fun in the process. 

Similar Posts