Monthly savings challenge: a printable 12-month chart for any target
Twelve deposits, one a month. Pick the same amount every month for a target, deposits that rise by a fixed step, or the 52-week challenge with each month's weeks added together — then print the chart on one page.
Download the PDF Blank chart (PDF) Free to download · one page · US Letter
A monthly savings challenge has 12 deposits. The same amount every month is the target divided by 12, rounded up to the next cent: $416.67 a month reaches $5,000 (it adds up to $5,000.04). Deposits that rise by a fixed step make it more of a challenge: $25 in month 1, $50 in month 2 … $300 in month 12 add up to $1,950.
Make your 12-month chart
Rising by a fixed step
$25 in month 1, $50 in month 2 … $300 in month 12. Total $1,950.
First deposit: Friday, January 1, 2027 · the same day of each month after that
| Month | Date | Deposit | Total | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25 | $25 | ||
| 2 | $50 | $75 | ||
| 3 | $75 | $150 | ||
| 4 | $100 | $250 | ||
| 5 | $125 | $375 | ||
| 6 | $150 | $525 | ||
| 7 | $175 | $700 | ||
| 8 | $200 | $900 | ||
| 9 | $225 | $1,125 | ||
| 10 | $250 | $1,375 | ||
| 11 | $275 | $1,650 | ||
| 12 | $300 | $1,950 |
iliafiliaev.com/pennyweek/monthly-savings-challenge/
Download a PDF
Two one-page charts with a real empty square to tick for every month and a blank column to write the date you saved. They are US Letter; on A4 paper choose “fit” or “scale to fit” in the print dialog — or use the Print button above, which prints on whatever paper your printer is set to and also fills in the dates.
How a monthly savings challenge works
You make one deposit a month for twelve months. With only 12 deposits each one is bigger than in a weekly challenge, which suits monthly pay. You choose the target or the step, and the chart says what to move each month and on which day. Dates fall on the same day of every month; a deposit on the 31st lands on the last day of a shorter month and returns to the 31st.
The same amount every month
Divide the target by 12 and round up to the next cent. Rounding up means the year never falls short; the total in the table is what the rounded amount really adds up to. $3,000 divides exactly: $250 a month.
Rising by a fixed step
Start with one step and add one more each month. With a $25 step the deposits are $25, $50, $75 … $300. Twelve steps add up to 78 times the step (1 + 2 + … + 12), so the year is $1,950. The chart above also lets the first deposit differ from the step.
| Step | Month 1 | Month 12 | The year adds up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $10 | $120 | $780 |
| $25 | $25 | $300 | $1,950 |
| $50 | $50 | $600 | $3,900 |
| $100 | $100 | $1,200 | $7,800 |
To reach a target in 12 months
For the same amount every month, divide by 12. For the rising version, divide by 78; the result is both the first deposit and the step. Both are rounded up to the next cent.
| To end the year with | Save every month | Adds up to |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $83.34 | $1,000.08 |
| $3,000 | $250 | $3,000 |
| $5,000 | $416.67 | $5,000.04 |
| $10,000 | $833.34 | $10,000.08 |
| $20,000 | $1,666.67 | $20,000.04 |
| To end the year with | First deposit and step | Adds up to |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $12.83 | $1,000.74 |
| $3,000 | $38.47 | $3,000.66 |
| $5,000 | $64.11 | $5,000.58 |
| $10,000 | $128.21 | $10,000.38 |
| $20,000 | $256.42 | $20,000.76 |
The 52-week challenge, paid monthly
Paid once a month but fond of the 52-week challenge? Add up the weeks that fall in each calendar month and set that amount aside once. With a $1 start and week 1 on Friday, January 1, 2027, January holds 5 weeks (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5, which is $15) and February holds 4 weeks (weeks 6 to 9, which is $30). Months have four or five Fridays, so the deposits vary.
The 52 weeks touch 12 calendar months when week 1 is early in a month, as it is here. A start on 30 January touches 13: that January is the first row and the next January is the last. The chart above says so when it happens.
Monthly pay and Pennyjar
The Challenges tab of Pennyjar counts in weeks. It has no monthly schedule, and its reminder is weekly. If you are paid monthly, you can run the 52-week challenge and, on payday, tap all the weeks that fall before your next payday; the app does not track paydays, so between them it may show weeks to catch up.
For a plan with exactly 12 deposits, a custom challenge of 12 weeks with a first amount and an increase is the nearest fit. Free Pennyjar runs one challenge at a time; Pennyjar Pro, one payment for the whole app, lets several run together and adds custom challenges of 2 to 156 weeks with your own amounts. Pennyjar is a record of what you set aside: it never holds or moves your money, and it is not financial advice.
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Last reviewed 8 October 2026