Save 5000 in a Year with this Easy $5,000 Savings Challenge

Inside: Learn how to save 5000 in a year by following this step-by-step guide. You’ll be able to save money for your goals – retirement, vacation, or emergencies.

I started my $5,000 Savings Challenge on February 16th and haven’t missed a day since. I’ve already saved over $3,500 so far – can you beat that?

A savings challenge is just like any other contest or competition that is designed to get people motivated into saving more than what they normally would.

It works by setting short-term goals for yourself (such as opening one additional account per month), rewarding your progress with some kind of prize at the end (in this case, a $5,000 gift card), and tracking your progress with some kind of tool.

The average person spends $1,000 per year on fast food. If you can save that money by eating out less, you could put it towards your retirement fund or any other savings goal.

There is always a reason not to save money, but once you prove to yourself you can save money, that is a gamechanger.

In this post, find out how this $5000 saving challenge works as well as tips for setting goals that will work best for you.

Why Save $5000 in a Year

One of the most common questions I get is “How do you save so much money in a year?”. The number one reason people don’t save is that they think it’s impossible. The truth is, anything in life worth doing takes time and energy to achieve.

Typically when people think about saving money they think of it as a one-time event that would only save them $50-$100, which is not worth the time or effort.

But when you think about saving money as making a small change to your daily life that will lead to long-term savings, it’s a lot less intimidating.

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Reasons to Save $5000 a Year:

I saved 5000 dollars in a year when I started to realize I was spending my money in ways that were frivolous and did not align with my long-term financial goals.

You can do the $5k saving challenge too!

You can fund any of the following by saving 5 grand a year:

• Roth IRA
• Vacation Fund
• Health Saving Account
• A new (to you) car
• College tuition for you or your kids if they’re still young enough to start saving
• A down payment on a house (or at least the start of one)
• Pay off your debt faster than you thought possible

You cannot afford to start saving now.

If you want to save more, then start looking at your saving percentage!

How to Save 5000 in a Year

This is how to save $5,000 in a year.

Saving $5,000 in a year is no small feat.

But if you’re feeling excited about what that could do for your future with just this one investment of time and money, you’re not alone.

No matter what your financial goals are, saving $5k in a year will help get you there faster and with less stress.

That’s why we are challenging you to the $5,000 savings challenge.

We want to help you save more and build your financial future.

1. Save a Flat Amount

Each month or week you will need to save the same amount.

This is the easiest way to save $5,000 in one year is by saving the same amount (e.g., $416.67) each month for 12 months.

If you are saving on a weekly basis, you will be saving $96.15 a week.

If you are saving on a bi-weekly basis, you will be saving $192.31 a week.

• Monthly Amount Saved = $417
• Semi-Monthly Amount Saved = $209
• Weekly Amount Saved = $97
• Bi-Weekly Amount Saved = $193

Knowing these amounts helps you to deduct these amounts straight from your paycheck into your saving account for the $5k savings challenge.

This is a great challenge for those who make 5000 a month.

2. Start Small and Save More

With this method, you will start saving a smaller amount of money and grow to save more each month.

By starting to save smaller amounts of money, you can find ways to become more frugal as you continue with the challenge. Also, this works well if you plan to make more money throughout the year.

You start by saving $120 and add an additional $50 to the previous month’s total.

• Month 1 = $150
• Month 2 = $200
• Month 3 = $250
• Month 4 = $300
• Month 5 = $350
• Month 6 = $400
• Month 7 = $450
• Month 8 = $500
• Month 9 = $550
• Month 10 = $600
• Month 11 = $650
• Month 12 = $700

At the end of one year, you will save $5,100!

The downfall to this challenge is things get more difficult. Thus, making you more likely to give up.

3. Start Big and Save Less

This will give you a buffer if something happens in your life.

You save more money upfront and then taper how much you save each month or week.

This method is preferable especially if you start with a no spend challenge.

You start by saving $600 and deduct $33 from the previous month’s total.

• Month 1 = $600
• Month 2 = $567
• Month 3 = $534
• Month 4 = $501
• Month 5 = $468
• Month 6 = $435
• Month 7 = $402
• Month 8 = $369
• Month 9 = $336
• Month 10 = $303
• Month 11 = $270
• Month 12 = $237

At the end of one year, you will save $5,022!

The upside to this challenge is you get the majority of saving completed in the first part of the year. Thus, you get a jump start on seeing progress and sticking to habits.

Savings Challenge Tracker

A savings challenge tracker is a tool that helps people with saving money.

It offers an interface to track various savings goals, such as retirement, education, and emergency funds.

These goals are set by the individual and can be changed at any time. The tool also offers a goal calculator, which allows users to predict how much they will need to save in order to meet a certain goal.

This is why you need a savings challenge tracker.

10 Simple Ways to Save $5,000

There are many ways to save $5,000 in a year. With the right strategies and preparation, it is possible to reach your goal even if you’re not financially well-off.

Here are tips and practical ways to cut expenses to help you save $5000 money.

1. Track your Spending

The first step to saving $5,000 is to track your spending.

When you do this, it will help you see where you could be wasting money and identify areas that need improvement.

Also, we highly recommend recording daily expenses so that there isn’t any confusion at the end of the month. Also, this helps identify areas where you are wasting money and adjust your spending accordingly.

2. Reduce your Cell Phone Bill

Switching to a discounted carrier can save hundreds of dollars. If you switch from one of the leading carriers to a discount carrier, you could potentially save $840 per year.

3. Save Money on Food

The most obvious way to save money is by using your credit or debit card to analyze your spending. Add up your food spending for the past three months.

If you are not careful, you could spend a lot of money on food without realizing it.

There are several ways to reduce the amount of food you spend including being more conscious of what you spend at restaurants.

To save money on food, I recommend shopping at discount grocery stores like Aldi or sales at your local stores. By shopping less often, you will not be tempted to spend more money.

Meal planning is another great way to save money by buying only what you need and planning your meals ahead of time so that you don’t overbuy.

4. Use Cash Back Apps

One of my favorite ways to save money is to take advantage of cash back apps.

There are many different websites and apps that allow you to earn cash back on purchases.

There are 3-personal favorites:

• Rakuten
• Ebates
• Ibotta

5. Credit Card Rewards or Signup Bonuses

There are many ways to save a lot of money in a year. Credit card offers can earn you anywhere from $100 to $500 as a one-time bonus. and if you use them responsibly, this can add up over the year. This is also known as credit card hacking.

Cash Back rewards are a great way to save money. Credit card offers can range from 2% – 5% of cash back, but it will take some work on your end to make sure you categories match up to your highest spending areas.

6. Get Cheaper Insurance

If you have a lot of insurance, it’s possible that you could save money by moving to a different company or making some adjustments to your policies.

It’s easy to get quotes from multiple insurance companies.

There are lists of the best home insurers and best auto insurers when you’re ready to start your shopping.

7. Find Free or Cheap Things to Do

Fun things with friends and family are a great use of your time, but there are ways to cut back on entertainment expenses without sacrificing fun.

Things like going to the movies, sporting events, concerts, as well as trips to the bar or meals out with friends can really add up fast. So, here is a list of 101+ things to do with no money.

8. Set Limits on Fun Spending

Give yourself a hard limit on how much you can spend on entertainment

You must set limits on how much you spend each day, weekly, or monthly.

This may include how often you shop. Shopping is fun, but it’s also costly and time-consuming if you do it often.

9. Watch Out for Small Purchases

When each purchase feels so small, it’s hard to believe how quickly it all adds up.

those $10 or $20 purchases over the course of the year will add up quickly to the tune of $100-4000 a year!

Wait 24 hours to make sure you still want the item.

10. Find Side Hustles to Make Money

There are so many ways to make extra money that will speed up your savings.

Here are some ideas that will have you saving $5k in a year:

• Flea Market Flipping: Buying and re-selling items for higher prices
• Freelance Writer: There are many different types of services that can be offered as a freelancer.
• Pet sitting and dog walking: Simple side hustle for extra cash
• Freelancer: Graphic design, web design, web development, photography, and social media marketing specialists are always needed.
• Drive for DoorDash: a flexible way to make money
• Take online surveys
• Learn to Invest in the Stock Market: This one should not scare you away. By investing, you are able to grow your money with passive income. This is a skill we all need.

Related Reading: 21+ Genius Ways on How to Make Money Fast

More Ways to Save Money:

1. Dump your cell phone plan
2. Cancel those gym memberships
3. Stop subscribing to Netflix or Hulu
4. Cut back on groceries by buying in bulk at Costco
5. Shop on Amazon for clothing and other goods (just beware of daily deliveries)
6. Stop paying for cable
7. Rent instead of buying an expensive TV
8. Get rid of your car
9. Switch to a low-cost airline
10. Stop buying expensive coffee

Once you’ve done all of these things, you will be impressed with how you save your money. You’ll have $5000 in just one year!

How to Save $5000 in a Year Chart:

The saving money chart shows the average amount of money that can be saved in a year by making small changes to your spending habits.

It is important to note that this figure is an average and not a goal.

It is important to set realistic financial goals and to track your progress in order to really achieve the savings you want.

Here are two how-to save $5000 in a year printable chart – one for monthly savings and another for weekly savings.

What can you do with $5,000 in Savings?

The $5,000 Savings Challenge can help you start saving more money than you thought was possible! You have to be ready to dedicate the resources and determination to make it happen.

Where are you at in your savings journey?

This $5000 saving challenge may or may not be right for you! And that is okay!

We have plenty of money saving challenges to help you succeed here on Money Bliss.

This challenge is for anyone who wants to save money and reach their savings goals.

It’s designed to help you start saving today with an easy plan.

Money Saving Challenge:

• 20 Simple Money Saving Challenge to Save More This Year
• 100 Envelope Challenge – Fun Money Saving Plan
• Your 52 Week Money Saving Challenge + Free Printable
• These Monthly Money Saving Challenges You Need to Try

Know someone else that needs this, too? Then, please share!!