Need an easy savings challenge? Try these 1-dollar saving challenge ideas, plus free money-saving printables.
Money might be tight right now, but almost everyone can do a 1 dollar savings challenge.
And those dollars, my friend? Will add up.
Especially with this list of interesting and fun mini savings challenges!
SO, let’s work on building your savings up, $1 at a time.
Who knows where you’ll be this time next year if you work on these?
1 Dollar Savings Challenges
These 1-dollar savings challenges give you low-pressure, high-momentum money wins you can do on any income.
And once that savings momentum gets started? There’s no telling what you can do.
1. The $1 Weather Prediction Savings Challenge
Use the changing weather to your savings advantage. And, to add a little fun to the experience!
Do you want more rain or more sunshine? Choose one or the other.
Then, your new rule is that each time the weather delivers your choice (rainy/sunny), you save $1 into your Savings Space.
Use this free money-saving printable to keep track of when the weather turns your way by coloring in the symbol you chose.
For us? If I’d chosen sunny this past month, I would likely have seen maybe $3-$4 extra bucks go to my savings. But rainy? Yeah, I’d be in the teens by now.
2. The $1 Per Spend Challenge
This one builds your savings account, one transaction at a time.
Each time you make a transaction – whether online or at the store – you need to set aside $1 to savings.
This includes when you:
- Fill up your gas
- Buy your groceries
- Buy the annoying 2 grocery items you forgot, and your family swears they can’t live without
- Fill out the order form for your child’s school pictures
- Stop off for a caffeine pick-me-up mid-afternoon
- Go thrift store shopping and find the perfect items you never knew you needed (ha!)
Right there, that’s $6 sent to your Savings Space! Depending on your spending frequency…you could be sitting on hundreds of dollars in extra savings by the end of the month or year.
Hint: not to mention, you might become more aware of the number of transactions you’re making…and start making fewer. What a great way to spend less money.
3. The $1 Impulse Control Savings Challenge
Got an app on your phone that you click WAY too often…and you’d like to work on that (while growing your savings)?
Get a jar. Choose the app you want to cut down the use of – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Animals & Coins game, etc.
Each time you impulsively click on the app, you owe your savings $1.00.
Either way, YOU are the winner!
4. The $1 Off Your Grocery Bill Savings Challenge
Find ONE way to save just $1 this week on your grocery shopping…then that $1.00 gets sent to your Savings Space.
You could:
- Use a digital manufacturer coupon
- Use a digital store coupon
- Put one item back that you were going to purchase
- Meal plan one meal out of your freezer/cupboards and spend less on ingredients at the store
Honestly, doing any one of these will save you MORE than $1.00 off your normal grocery bill, so sending that buck to your Savings Space should be no sweat.
5. The $1 No-Fast-Food Savings Jar
Grab a jar, and label it “No Fast Food Savings Jar”.
Each time you really want to get fast food, or you would normally get fast food, but cook or source food from home instead?
Put $1.00 inside.
Double winner – you spend way less for the meal than you would’ve had you sat in the drive-thru lane, AND, you build up your savings ever so slightly.
6. The $1 Pay Yourself First Challenge
Every single little time you get money of any sort, you save $1.00 of it.
This could be:
- Pay Day
- Rebate in the mail
- Fetch rewards redemption
- Insurance claim check
- Tax refund
- Bank account opening bonus
- Credit card reward redemption
That’s at least $7 worth of examples right there!
7. The $1 Brown Bag Savings Challenge
Each time you pack your own lunch – saving you lots of money from a restaurant lunch – set aside $1.00 into a brown paper bag.
Simple. Effective. And helps build your savings up.
That’s my list of easy savings challenges that all involve $1.00 bills. Which one are you MOST excited about trying, and you think will motivate you to grow that savings muscle over the coming months? I’m excited for you to get started! Personally, I want to do the Weather Prediction one. And I’m choosing sunshine.
Amanda L. Grossman is a writer and Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI®), Plutus Foundation Grant Recipient, and founder of Frugal Confessions. Over the last 17 years, her money work has helped people with how to save money and how to manage money.
She's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Business Insider, LifeHacker, Real Simple Magazine, Woman's World, Woman's Day, ABC 13 Houston, Keybank, and more. Read more here or on LinkedIn.
