If you have set a goal to save money in the new year, consider taking on one of these challenges for 2026. Some challenges start with saving just 1p on the first day, while others can help you accumulate nearly £7,000 by the end of the year.
The method of saving is up to you – whether you opt for a digital savings account or the traditional approach of using a physical jar for coins and cash.
One challenge, the £1 saving challenge, involves saving £1 every day, resulting in £365 saved over the year. Alternatively, saving 50p daily would yield £182.50 by the year’s end.
In another challenge, the daily savings increase by 1p each day starting with 1p on January 1 and culminating in £3.65 on December 31, totaling £667.95 saved if completed for the whole year, or £164.71 if stopped at the end of June.
A weekly saving challenge begins with saving £1 on Monday and incrementally increasing by £1 each day until Friday, with weekends skipped. This challenge can lead to £780 saved over the year, or £390 if done every other week.
For a weekly increment challenge, the savings increase by £1 each week, starting from £1 in the first week of January up to £52 in the final week of December, resulting in £1,378 saved for the year, or £351 if done every other week.
A more rigorous variation of the Monday to Friday challenge includes weekends, where savings escalate by £1 each day, with additional savings of £6 on Saturday and £7 on Sunday, totaling £1,456 saved per year, or £728 if only half completed.
The toughest challenge involves increasing savings by £5 per week, starting with £5 in the first week of January and doubling each week, potentially saving £6,890 for the year if completed or £1,755 if stopped halfway through.