Amelia K. thought the 52-week savings challenge looked easy when she first learned about it. Start with $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on until you’re saving $52 in the final week. By December, you’ll have $1,378 sitting in your account.
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“How hard could it be?” the 32-year-old marketing coordinator from Los Angeles said. “It’s literally just moving money from one account to another. I’m kind of a money dummy but even I could do that, right!?”
Twelve months later, Amelia has some thoughts about that viral savings trend and they might surprise anyone considering the challenge.
Why the 52-Week Challenge Caught Her Attention
Amelia had been meaning to build up her emergency fund for years but could never seem to make progress. Between rent in Los Angeles, student loan payments and the general cost of living, saving felt next to impossible.
“I was one of those people who would say ‘I’ll save whatever’s left at the end of the month,'” Amelia shared. “Spoiler alert: there was never anything left. What can I say? I’m a spendy lady!”
The 52-week challenge appealed to her because it started small. A dollar in week one felt manageable, and the gradual increase seemed less intimidating than trying to save a large lump sum all at once.
“I figured if I could save $1, I could probably handle $2 the next week,” she said.
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Her Setup: Why She Chose Her Checking Account
Unlike financial experts who recommend high-yield savings accounts or investment accounts for the challenge, Amelia decided to keep everything in her existing checking account.
“The most important thing to be was that it be simple,” she shared. “I didn’t want to open new accounts or worry about interest rates. I just wanted to prove to myself I could actually save money consistently. That’s it. That’s the reason.”
Her plan was straightforward: Every Sunday, she’d transfer the week’s amount from her main checking balance into a separate mental bucket she called her “challenge fund.” She tracked her progress on a printout taped to her bathroom mirror.
The First Quarter: Easier Than Expected
The initial months went smoothly. Saving $1 to $13 weekly felt almost effortless, and Amelia found herself looking forward to Sunday transfers.
“The first few weeks were so easy I wondered why I’d never saved money before,” she shared. “I was feeling pretty smug about the whole thing, to be honest with you.”
By the end of March, she’d saved $378 and was feeling confident about completing the full challenge. The amounts were still small enough that she barely noticed them leaving her account.
The Summer Struggle: When Reality Hit
Things got complicated around week 20 in May when the weekly savings amount hit $20. Suddenly, Amelia was looking at nearly $100 per month just for the challenge — and that’s when her budget started feeling tight.
“Twenty dollars a week doesn’t sound like much until you realize it’s almost $80 per month on top of everything else you’re trying to save,” she said.
The summer months brought additional financial pressures. Wedding season meant gifts and travel expenses, plus higher electricity bills from running air conditioning in her Los Angeles apartment.
“I definitely had a few weeks where I transferred the money on Sunday and then had to transfer it back on Wednesday because I needed it for groceries,” Amelia shared. “The challenge was supposed to teach me discipline, but I felt like I was just moving money around.”
The Fourth-Quarter Challenge: $40+ Weekly Savings
By October, Amelia was facing the challenge’s most difficult phase: saving $40+ per week. The final month alone required setting aside $202 ($49 + $50 + $51 + $52).
“November and December were brutal,” she said. “I was saving more per week than I spend on groceries. It felt completely backwards.”
The holiday season made everything worse. Between gifts, travel to see family and year-end social events, Amelia’s budget was already stretched thin.
“Week 50 hit in mid-December and I had to save $50 while also buying Christmas presents,” she shared. “I definitely put some gifts on my credit card that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Oops!”
The Final Tally: Did She Actually Save $1,378?
Amelia technically completed the challenge, hitting her goal of $1,378 by New Year’s Eve. But the reality was more complicated than just that.
“I finished the challenge, but I also ended December with more credit card debt than I started the year with,” she admitted. “I was basically borrowing money to fund my savings account.”
Throughout the year, Amelia estimates she dipped into her challenge fund about six times for unexpected expenses.
What She Learned: The Good and Bad of the Challenge
Despite the struggles, Amelia said the experience taught her valuable lessons about her spending and saving habits.
The Good: “I proved to myself that I can save money when I put my mind to it,” she shared. “Before this challenge, I would have sworn I couldn’t save $100 per month, let alone $200.”
The challenge also highlighted areas where she was overspending. “When saving $35 per week felt impossible, I started looking at where my money was actually going. Turns out I was spending $40+ weekly on coffee and random purchases without thinking about it.”
The Bad: “The structure is kind of backwards,” Amelia said. “You’re saving the most money during the most expensive time of year. December is when you need extra money, not when you should be setting aside $200.”
Her Advice for Anyone Considering the Challenge
Based on her experience, Amelia has specific recommendations for people thinking about trying the 52-week challenge:
Start in July, not January: “If you start in summer, you’ll be saving small amounts during vacation season and the big amounts during quieter spring months. Then you’ll have the money available for holiday expenses.”
Use a separate account: “Put the money somewhere you can’t easily access it. A high-yield savings account with a different bank would have prevented me from ‘borrowing’ from myself.”
Consider the reverse version: “Save $52 in week one and work your way down to $1. Get the hard part over with when you’re motivated, not when you’re financially exhausted.”
Be realistic about your budget: “If saving $40+ per week sounds impossible, modify the challenge. Maybe do $0.50 the first week and increase by $0.50 each week. You’ll still save almost $700.”
Her 2025 Financial Plans
Despite the challenges, Amelia plans to continue saving in 2025 — just with a different approach.
“I’m doing a flat $25 per week this year,” she shared. “Same total savings but consistent amounts that fit my budget better.”
She also opened a high-yield savings account with a different bank to remove the temptation to spend her savings on impulse purchases.
“The 52-week challenge taught me I can save money, but it also taught me that trendy saving methods aren’t always the best methods,” she said. “Which is too bad for me because I love being on trend, haha.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Tried the 52-Week Savings Challenge: Here’s What Happened
