What if you had $1,378? You would probably be pretty happy. I feel like we live in a day and time when savings isn’t something many of us take seriously. When we have an extra $10 when we finish paying our bills, we think, woohoo let me buy this big $10 steak this week. And it happens paycheck after paycheck. We live in the here and now and then one day we find ourselves wishing we could go on vacation or our car needs a major fix and there is no funding and so we scramble or scumb to credit cards or loans to pay for the fix. I have learned these things the hard way and it’s never fun so I have put a bigger importance on savings.
Next year my husband and I plan to go to Destin a little after baby gets here! Woohoo. I am so excited! 🙂 It’s been a few years since we’ve been to the beach and we are dying to go. Now, we have a plan to pay for the hotel, but that’s not all we have to pay for. We have to pay for food, gas, any fun things we plan to do, and be prepped for any emergencies along the way (one time when I went to the beach, I hit a curb and ruined my tire. My mom had to wire me $90 to get a new one when in reality I should have had a plan to take care of it sooner so I didn’t have to replace the whole thing, anyways…)! With a baby on the way, I would be lying if it never crossed my mind how we could save for baby and save for the beach. But then I came across this pretty little savings plan that almost perfectly aligns with when we are going to the beach. 
It’s called the 52 week money challenge and at the end of 52 weeks, you end up with $1,378. The perfect amount for food and fun in the sun. What I really love about this challenge is that it’s easy and you are never having to pay out like half your paycheck (unrealistic) at some point. Let’s face it, who can spare half of their pay check (or more for some people) for savings when you have bills to pay for? The highest you ever contribute is $52, as the amount increases by $1 each week. It will take some dedication, especially since a year seems so long from now, but keep your eye on the prize and you will thank yourself a year later when you have the money in your pocket and can do something fun or something that will help better yourself financially. Take a look at this quick list of things you could do with $1,378, and take into consideration what you would do with that money and if maybe the 52 week money challenge is something you should do! I think I will do it backwards and get the hard part out of the way now so later, it will be easier!
1.) Vacation- take a trip to Florida or the nearest beach near you. Depending on how long you stay and where you stay, this could cover the majority or your trip or the hotel. Make it work for you. Think of yourself, a year from now on the beach. Wouldn’t some savings be worth it? Yesss.
2.) Savings Account- This one is obvious. And probably the smartest financially. having $1,300 in your savings could cover a big car repair if you run into one day or you can put it towards retirement!
3.) Paying off debt’s- Sure it may not seem the most fun thing you could do with the money but paying off debt eliminates payments, which can open up more money for savings, or vacation, or whatever you need. It will eliminate stress if anything.
4.) Charity- Donating to charity really feels good and you can pick your own. Donate to your favorite cause. I really don’t have to explain this one much to you because 🙂 well you already know donating to charity is an awesome thing.
5.) A mix of them all!- You can always divide the money up and do a little of everything.
No matter what you spend it on, I challenge you to try it for a year! See how good you feel this time next year. And when a year comes and you see how awesome it feels, start over. Do something else with it the year after or use it for the same thing. I think once you get a year down and enjoy the “hard” work it’ll get easier and easier to do each year. Just think of it as another bill you HAVE to pay. If it were a bill you would have to figure out how to work around it anyways right?
Have you ever participated in this money challenge or some other kind of challenge? How did it go? Did you enjoy the pay out if you completed it? Share in the comments! 🙂 Looking forward to hearing from you as always!
The Wife's Life 