The 52-week savings challenge: does it work?

Save £1 in week one, £2 in week two, and so on up to £52. By the end of the year you've saved £1,378.

How it adds up

The problem is clear from the table: three-quarters of the money is saved in the second half of the year, and the biggest weeks land in December.

Try it in reverse

Start at £52 and work down to £1. You save the same £1,378, but the hardest weeks come in January when motivation is highest, and December costs you almost nothing.

Or pick your own order

Tick off any amount from £1 to £52 each week. Choose a big one in a good week and a small one when money is tight.

Where to keep it

Use an easy-access savings account or cash ISA, so the money earns interest and isn't sitting in your current account. Saving towards a different total? Our savings goal calculator shows what to put aside each month.