25 Money Saving Challenges for 2025
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Heading into the new year, saving money is a common New Year’s resolution. When you’re trying to save money, especially for a large sum like a down payment or a 6-month emergency fund, it can become boring week after week. One of the smart ways to save money is to keep it exciting by implementing money saving challenges or gamifying the savings goals. Here are 25 money saving challenges for you to try in 2025.
In this article
1. The 100-envelope savings challenge
Start with 100 envelopes. Write a dollar amount on the front of each envelope. You can choose to make them all the same or vary them based on your savings goal. Commit to filling up the envelopes by the end of the year, or sooner if you’re feeling confident.
2. $5 bill savings
Every time you get a $5 bill, stash it away in a piggy bank or cash envelope. At the end of the year, add up all your $5 bills and put it towards Christmas or one of your sinking funds.
3. Freebie Fridays
Spend Fridays doing a no spend challenge. Take advantage of free entertainment or activities in your community. You can also save up your free coffee or free treats in your various apps and use them on your no-spend Fridays. Take the money you would’ve spent on food and entertainment and put it towards one of your savings goals.
4. Low budget grocery challenge
Food is one of the biggest expenses for households behind housing and transportation. Slash your weekly budget in half and get creative with your meals. Clean out your pantry and freezer. Try shopping sales or using only discount stores. Put the money you save towards your money goals.
5. 52-week money challenge
Save a specific amount each week that coordinates with which week it is in the year in a savings challenge book. For example, $1 the first week, then $2 the second week and so on. By the end of the year you will have saved $1,378!
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6. No-spend week challenge
Choose one week per month where you spend money only on pre-determined essentials. Say no to any unnecessary spending. See how much money you saved in just 7 days.
7. Debt-free December
46% of Americans are still paying off debt for holiday spending last Christmas. Spend the month of December using a cash budget and avoid using debt to pay for holiday spending.
8. Scratch-off savings goal
Scratch off stickers are a fun way to create a game out of your savings goals. You can buy scratch off stickers on Amazon or Etsy. Write numbers in random on a sheet of paper, then use the stickers to hide the amounts. Every week, scratch off a sticker and save that amount.
9. Emergency fund challenge
See how quickly you can build an emergency fund. You can use a challenge printable from Etsy or Pinterest to track your progress. It can be exciting to prove to yourself how quickly you can save money when you’re working towards a specific goal.
10. Windfall savings challenge
A windfall is any money you receive that is unexpected. This can be a friend paying you for taking them to the airport or a tax refund. Every time you get unexpected income, put it straight into your piggy bank or your savings binder.
11. Amazon freeze
Amazon makes it easy to spend your hard earned money at their online store. Everytime you go to purchase something on Amazon, close your browser and transfer the amount you were going to spend into your savings account. Watch how quickly your account balance increases.
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12. Cash envelope system challenge
Cash envelopes can be a helpful tool if you are prone to overspending. Leave your debit and credit cards at home, only using cash for an entire month. This will not only help you stick to your budget but at the end of the month take the remaining money out of your cash envelopes and treat yourself to something fun as a reward for sticking to your budget.
13. Sticker calendar
You can use a cheap calendar and pack of stickers to motivate yourself to stick to your savings and/or spending goals. Create mini challenges for yourself each month and mark off your successes every day. For example, in January, you could do a “no fancy coffee challenge.” Every day you resist stopping at the coffee stand, you can mark off with a sticker. Aim to fill up as many calendar spaces as possible.
14. Sinking fund tracker
Sinking funds are used to save in advance for planned expenses. Annual car insurance or birthdays are common sinking funds. Use a savings binder to track all your sinking funds in one convenient place.
15. Spare change round-up
This is a fun challenge even if you consider yourself low income. Create a piggy bank out of a 5-gallon bucket or other large container. Throughout the year, dump all your spare change into the piggy bank. At the end of the year, take the change to a bank and see how much you’ve saved.
16. 26-week savings challenge
If you get paid bi-weekly, this money challenge might be perfect for you. You can save each paycheck increasing by $3 each time. From paycheck #1 you will save $3, then from paycheck #2, you will save $6 and so on. By week 26, you will have saved $1,053.
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17. 1% saving challenge
For a low budget savings goal, you can aim to save just 1% of your earnings. While this challenge isn’t as aggressive as other money saving challenges, it can be an easy way to start saving if you’ve been struggling to stick to other savings goals.
18. Side hustle challenge
Start selling items on marketplaces like Amazon or start an Etsy shop and see how much extra you can make. You could even sell money challenge printables or savings challenge bundles to other people who are trying to save money like you.
19. Money match challenge
Every time you want to purchase an item, you only allow yourself to buy it if you match your purchase by saving the same amount. So you can buy a $25 shirt, but only if you put $25 into your savings challenge book or savings binder.
20. Roll the dice challenge
List out six sinking funds and number them one through six. On the same day each week, roll the dice and add the amount on the dice to the coordinating sinking fund. If you want to accelerate your savings goals, you could multiply the number by 10, so 6 = $60.
21. $1 only savings challenge
This challenge is popular with workers who often get paid cash tips. You save every $1 bill you get throughout the month. Surprisingly, it adds up quickly.
22. Friday freebies
Spend Fridays doing a no spend challenge. Take advantage of free entertainment or activities in your community. You can also save up your free coffee or free treats in your various apps and use them on your no-spend Fridays. Take the money you would’ve spent on food and entertainment and put it towards one of your savings goals.
23. Eat at home week challenge
Americans spend hundreds of dollars a month eating out. Make a goal to only eat food from home for an entire week. You might be surprised how much you spend each week grabbing a coffee here or a lunch there.
24. Coupon only challenge
During this challenge, you can only buy something if you have a coupon. You use the coupon to purchase the item, then take the money you would have spent, and put it towards one of your savings goals.
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25. Freeze your credit card challenge
If you are struggling to stay within your budget, try freezing your credit cards—literally. Take your credit cards and freeze them inside a block of ice. This will physically prevent you from using your credit cards and help you stick to a cash budget once and for all.
The bottom line
The quickest way to save money is by implementing one or more of these mini savings challenges throughout the weeks and months throughout the year. Alternating between no spend challenges and savings challenges can help keep you from burning out, ultimately reaching financial freedom.
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Writer
Holly is a freelance writer who recognizes that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to personal finance. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, women in business and financial literacy. When she is not working, she is testing out new recipes, tasting the newest Trader Joe’s finds or binging the latest true crime podcast. She resides in Utah with her husband, two daughters and dog, Max.
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