Last year in January I posted this article on a 52 week savings plan. I want to encourage all of you to try it again this year!
Even though it’s not January, don’t panic! It’s not too late to start! According to the plan, by the last week of January, all you needed to have saved was $15. Add $7 more for the first week of February, and you’re completely caught up until the end of this week when you’ll want to put $8 more aside. If you stick with it, you’ll have $45 saved by the last Saturday of the month and you’ll be off to a great start. After completing the full plan, you’ll have a nice pile of cash ($1378 in all) ready for anything from car emergencies to a small vacation!
Don’t worry if you’ve never done much saving before. As I wrote about previously here, you aren’t alone. However, that doesn’t change the importance of saving money. The 52 week savings plan is a great way to get started on saving even if you have very little experience.
So how ’bout it? Will you commit to setting aside some money every week for the next year? Have you ever done this plan or a similar plan in the past? Join the discussion at the SurvivalMom forum!
Download this cool savings chart here.
For those who are worried about the last 2-3 weeks of the year ($103 in two weeks is a bit steep for some), or those that get paid every two weeks, here is a suggestion. Instead of setting aside money each week, take $53 every two weeks. The first week is $1 and the second week is $52. Two weeks later you still set aside $53, but it is $2 and $51. A non-fluctuating amount to set aside and you always know when the bill is coming.
That is exactly what we did. Week 1 and week 52, week 2 and week 51. Excellent suggestion.
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I started with week 52 and working my way downward. I tend to have more to save in January than at the end of the year. So far it’s working. Thanks for the suggestion.
how do u keep from getting in it for something I would love to do this but im affaid I would fell..
Some people have been known to freeze their credit cards in a dish of water. I guess you could do the same with your cash. Put it in a waterproof container and then submerge it in a bowl of water then freeze. It’s worth a try!
I love this idea! Thanks so much!
I want to do this but I am unable to print it out. wel I can print it but then I cannot read it can you please email me the plan… thanks
I like your suggestion very well Melinda!
What about reversing the order and saving the bigger amounts first and less as the year goes. Right now you may be motivated more to save than later.
Karen,
Saving something would be better than not trying. If you are really worried you would spend it on something frivolous, try putting the cash in a container that will also hold a picture of what you are saving for (i.e. house, your children, retirement) or in a savings account at the bank that has the designation “Emergency Fund” to help you remember what you are saving for.
If you don’t try, you can never succeed. If you fall off the saving bandwagon ( or need it for an emegency ), just start over.
A few months go I started putting all he one-dollar bills in my poket at the endof every day in my safe. I don’t really notice the loss of the bills. But I sure build the reserve cash quick, I end up with $20.00 per week. I use this for big-ticket items for prepping.
Right now, I’ll be lucky to be able to save $1, let alone the $52 or $53 that was suggested to catch up. I think for some who are really struggling to have anything save. Save your change from every $1 you spend. Before things got messed up, I paid cash for 99% of things I did when it came to bills, groceries & gas, even “take out”. If I didn’t use up everything I had set aside for groceries, then I’d set aside $1, $5, $10 or even $20 for “my” spending or emergency money. But I tucked it away in my wallet so i couldn’t readily see it neither could anyone who went through my wallet. Then by the following payday (every 2 wks) I would clean out my wallet & put that “extra” money in a container that I hid. My change jar got raided & my other containers would get raided. So there are many ways to do a 52 week savings plan…it just might not be exactly this way. But the more you save (from groceries, paying off a bill, etc) the more you can add to your savings & eventually be able to do this exactly how it shows. 🙂
Those are all great ideas, Alli.
The chart is unreadable, both in the article and when printed, because of the tree behind it.
We did this but were a bit more aggressive with the savings.. While we did put away at least the amount on the chart, If we could we put away more. To answer the question of how to keep from getting into the money, We got a can from one of the bargain stores here, It is one kind of kids bank that you cannot open without benefit of a can opener. We would have the money to use in a emergency, and I mean life shattering emergency, not Oh I want that pair of boots on sale kinda thing. Or we would pay off a bill. Over all we live rather frugally already and don’t go out to eat much. So saving has never been hard for us.
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