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What's the $1,000 savings challenge, and how does it work?

This simple challenge can help kickstart your savings goals.

Yahoo Personal Finance· Getty Images
7 min read

If you enjoy spending money or live on a tight budget, saving can be tough. However, concentrating on a specific goal can help.

The $1,000 savings challenge is a self-directed strategy to focus your efforts. It gives you a reasonable target to boost your savings, regardless of what you’re saving for.

There’s no one right way to complete the $1,000 savings challenge, so you’re free to make it your own. Continue reading for tips on how to structure the challenge and what to do with your savings after reaching your goal.

The $1,000 savings challenge is precisely what it sounds like — a way to challenge yourself to save $1,000 within a set time frame. Saving $1,000 can help you reach a range of financial goals, or it can be a way to jumpstart your savings journey.

There’s no single right way to structure the $1,000 savings challenge, though an internet search will bring up plenty of worksheets and guides on the topic. Whether you aim to save $1,000 in one month or one year, the point is the same: To prioritize saving money consistently over time.

You can structure the $1,000 savings challenge in a variety of ways, but following this basic framework can help:

  1. Set a deadline. A deadline can provide some healthy urgency to reach your goal. Choose a deadline that feels challenging yet reasonable. Depending on your income and budget, that could be a month, a year, or somewhere in between.

  2. Designate a place for your savings. Pick a place for your savings so you can track progress toward your goal. Some people prefer seeing physical cash add up in an envelope or a jar. That said, a savings account is more secure and convenient — plus, it’ll earn interest that helps your balance grow even faster.

  3. Break down your goal by week or month. Breaking down your goal into bite-sized pieces can make it feel more doable. Using your deadline, figure out how much you need to save each week or month to reach your $1,000 goal. For example, if you want to save $1,000 in six months, you’ll need to save about $167 per month.

Another way to approach this challenge could be to save $1,000 as fast as you can. You may want to take this approach if you’re in a pinch and need cash as soon as possible.

The $1,000 savings challenge has plenty of obvious advantages, but there are some disadvantages too. Weigh these pros and cons before beginning the challenge:

  • Provides focus: A single goal can give you focus and clarity. You may know you should save more, but without a concrete number, you may struggle to find the motivation to do so.

  • Allows for flexibility: You can customize the challenge to fit your financial situation. If you can save $1,000 in 30 days, that’s amazing. But if you need 30 weeks, that’s okay too.

  • Creates a sizable savings boost: You can do a lot with $1,000, and saving this amount of money is a powerful feeling. It can give you the freedom to pay off some debt, make a big purchase, start investing, or jumpstart an emergency fund.

  • Motivation may waver after completing your goal: After working hard to save $1,000, you may feel like you need a break from the hard work of saving. You might also be tempted to spend all your hard-earned cash and feel overwhelmed at the prospect of saving again.

  • May not provide the appropriate amount of challenge: Because you can customize the $1,000 savings challenge to meet your financial situation, you may inadvertently make it too easy or too hard. If you make it too easy, you might not learn the importance of prioritizing savings. And if you make it too hard, you may give up before reaching your goal.

Completing the $1,000 savings challenge may not be easy, but staying focused on your goal can help. Use the following tips to keep your goal in sight, track your progress, and stay motivated along the way.

  • Cut expenses: Cutting monthly expenses can help you speed up your progress by diverting money you typically spend into your savings account instead. Cancel unused subscriptions, shop sales, negotiate bills, and dial in your discretionary spending to free up more funds for your savings.

  • Boost your income: You can only cut so much from your spending, but you can always earn more. Negotiate a raise, sell used clothes, have a garage sale, or launch a side hustle to give your savings a boost.

  • Use a round-up app: There are countless money-saving apps on the market. Some include a feature that allows you to round up transactions to the nearest dollar and stash the extra change in your savings account. It may not sound like much, but these round-ups quickly add up. Acorns, Chime, and Qapital are just a few examples of round-up tools to check out.

  • Celebrate milestones along the way: If staying motivated is your biggest challenge, celebrate wins along the way. If you’re a natural spender, this may mean spending a little for every big chunk you save. For example, you could treat yourself to a $20 indulgence for every $250 you save.

  • Automate your contributions: Automating your savings contributions can essentially guarantee your success. Set up recurring transfers from your checking account into your savings account to make progress on autopilot. Just make sure you have the funds to do so to avoid overdrawing your account.

  • Track your progress: Designate a time every week or so to check on your progress. Seeing your bank account grow over time can motivate you to keep going. Plus, knowing how much you need to reach your goal can help you course-correct if you do get off track.

$1,000 is a lot of money, and you might wonder what to do with it once you reach your goal. Here are some options:

Many financial experts recommend saving three to six months’ worth of expenses for emergencies. This lets you pay for unexpected costs without going into debt. If you don’t have a fully funded emergency savings account, $1,000 is a great start.

Read more: How much money should I have in an emergency savings account?

High-interest debt is expensive to carry and can be hard to pay off. That’s because the balance can snowball over time. Throwing a big chunk of money at the principal can help you make some progress and cut down on interest payments.

High-yield savings accounts and CDs earn more interest than traditional savings accounts, making them good places for your money if you don’t need it immediately. HYSAs work like traditional savings accounts. However, CDs have more limitations; you agree not to touch your money for an agreed-upon period of time and, in exchange, earn a fixed interest rate on your deposit.

See our picks for the 10 best high-yield savings accounts and best CD accounts for 2024>>

If you’re comfortable with your savings balance, you may be ready to invest. When invested well, $1,000 can compound and grow significantly over the years. Consider maxing out a tax-advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k) or IRA, before adding money to a taxable brokerage account.

Maybe you have a big vacation, wedding, or a new car purchase on the horizon. With your $1,000, you can kickstart your savings and avoid (or minimize) new debt.

Read more: How the 52-week savings challenge can help you save $1,300 in one year