52 Week Money Challenge Printable

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I know, I know. You’re ready to SPEND that money for the upcoming holiday shopping extravaganza/Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal of the year, but I wanted to post this early so you can get a head start. I don’t know about you, but I get so sad AFTER the New Year once I’ve discovered that my bank accounts have been depleted. And then, I do this strange thing called a New Year’s Resolution where I tell everyone that we’re going to save money and make right with our finances but I’d only start but never finish it. Does this sound familiar?

The reason it’s so hard to save is from lack of and/or poor planning. Anyone can do it, you just have to have a strategic plan and remind yourself EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and voila! You’ve done it! And don’t quote me on this, The Bible has thousands of references on money that we apply to everyday life. The two that have stuck in my head and are my favorites are these:

Proverbs 21:20 – The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The PLANS of the diligent lead to profit

Wow, so simple yet so powerful, right? A plan for everything and everything in it’s place is the heart of an organizer and when it comes to money management, we need to think like an organizer.

To be honest and transparent with you – I have been an awful money manager. When I was in my early twenties, I was fantastic at it and had credit scores in the 700’s! I was even able to purchase my first home at the age of 20 and sell it with a $10,000 profit from the equity in my home before I was 22. And then I discovered that my ex-husband was not responsible with managing money or keeping a job (that’s a whole different story now) and I was divorced with a very high amount of debt and BAD credit before I was 24. I have spent the last ten years trying to restore the damage that’s been done on my credit and I am STILL suffering the consequences of poor planning, poor money management, and poor decision making skills.

I’ve been praying for wisdom on how to exercise self-control and each day is a new day where I continue to save money and work towards improving my credit score. Take it from me, and learn vicariously through my past. You can prevent money from getting out of control, it’s your choice.

Improve Your Credit Score

One of the suggestions I made was one I learned from a fellow ‘It-Mom’ whose children have gone through college (much of it paid by the parents) and they suggested saving each week based on the 52-week rule. Here’s what that savings schedule looked like:

Ex:
Week 1: $52
Week 2: $51
Week 3: $50
Week 4: $49
Week 5: $48
Week 6: $47
and so on, until the amount on your 52nd week is only $1!

The reason it was done backwards was because our savings tend to be higher in the beginning of the year (tax refunds) versus the end of the year (holidays). Once you complete the full 52-weeks, you should be able to save about $1,378 each year. As with all savings plans – the sooner you start, the more you’ll have saved up!

Here are a few great resources online that you can reference on the 52 Week Money Challenge:
The Simple Dollar: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/hacking-the-52-week-money-challenge/

Pop Sugar: http://www.popsugar.com/career/52-Week-Money-Challenge-34406897

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/52-week-money-challenge/