Is saving more money one of your New Year’s resolutions this year?
Beginning to save money can be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. Take the pressure off your financial goals by making saving fun with one of our savings challenges.
Savings challenges are great for building consistent saving habits while also growing your savings accounts.
Here are four savings challenges you can start in 2026:
52 Week Envelope Challenge
This savings challenge combines the 52-week challenge with the 100-envelope challenge.
Instead of saving money chronologically (week 1 – $1, week 2 – $2, etc.) and depositing that amount into your savings account, you will fill out 52 envelopes—each with a dollar amount that corresponds with each week of the year.
Once you have your envelopes labeled, give them a quick shuffle to randomize them, then place them back in the box (or set them aside).
Each week, pull a random envelope from its place and save that amount. For example, if you pulled an envelope labeled $39, you would save $39 dollars that week.
If you are using cash, place the $39 in that envelope until the end of the year, or head to your local bank or credit union to deposit it. If you are completing this challenge with an online savings account, make sure to transfer the appropriate amount each week.
Make sure to record each transaction on our 52 Envelope Savings Tracker!
Pause Your Subscriptions
Streaming services, food delivery services, and product boxes are monthly subscriptions that most American consumers pay for; some people have multiple subscriptions for the same service– for example, some consumers subscribe to both DoorDash’s DashPass and Uber Eats’ Uber One.
Too often, one signs up for a free trial with the intent to cancel before the free trial ends, only to forget and be charged for the service. If you’re not keeping an eye on your finances and tracking all your expenses diligently, you may be paying for subscriptions without even realizing it.
Take some time to review your bank accounts and credit card statements from the past few months and highlight any recurring charges. Then analyze the charges and decide which subscriptions could be paused or canceled temporarily. Maybe you subscribed to a streaming service to watch one show a few months ago but haven’t watched anything on that platform since; maybe you’ve decided to stop getting food delivered anyway, so you no longer need those subscriptions.
Pause or cancel any subscription you’re not currently using and put that money in your savings account or investments instead. You may even find that after a few months, you don’t miss those subscriptions anyway!
Roll-the-dice Challenge
Gamifying savings is a great way to turn something that might be stressful or scary into something entertaining and enjoyable!
This challenge is flexible and can be done daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on your goals and financial situation.
Simply roll a die and set aside the cash or transfer that amount to your savings account.
For example, if you roll a 1, save $1; if you roll a 6, save $6, etc.
Looking to save a little more each time? Roll a pair of dice (or one die twice) and save that amount.
Make sure you record your rolls and track your progress on our Roll-The-Dice savings tracker.
Create Your Own Savings Challenge
This challenge is great if any of the other savings challenges don’t pique your interest OR if you are saving for something in particular– such as a new car, an upcoming vacation, etc.
Creating your own savings challenge is easy!
Download our savings challenge template and fill it out with YOUR numbers.
For example, if you are saving up for a down payment on a new car, figure out how much you need to save up and record that on the savings challenge page. Then, divide that number by 10 and label each section of the savings challenge tracker—that is how much you will save at a time in order to cross off sections of the tracker.
Once the tracker is filled out completely, you will have the full amount needed for your car’s down payment.
If saving money is one of your New Year’s resolutions this year, consider one of these savings challenges as a fun way to jump-start your savings goals.
