Free printable + Excel tracker
$5,000 Savings Challenge
Five thousand dollars is a real emergency fund, a holiday paid in cash, or the deposit on a car. This chart breaks it into 100 cells worth $20 to $90. Color two a week and the year does the rest.
Both are free. Tell us where to send them and they are in your inbox in a minute. The tracker adds up what you have saved and shows your finish date.
Goal
$5,000
Cells
100
Takes
1 year
Saving
$100 a week
How the $5,000 challenge works
The amounts are shuffled across the grid, so every week you choose: two small cells when money is tight, two big ones when it is not. The total only ever goes up.
Print it, or open the tracker
Print the chart and put it where you will see it every day, or get the free tracker for Excel or Google Sheets. Write down what you are saving for.
Color a cell each time you save
Move the money to savings, then color the cell with that amount. Two a week keeps you on schedule, in any order you like.
Reach $5,000 in 1 year
Watch the chart fill up. The tracker shows what is saved, what is left and whether you are on pace, and the milestones on the chart mark each quarter of the way.
What is on the chart
100 cells, shuffled across the grid so you choose each time: 20 cells of $20, 20 of $30, 20 of $50, 20 of $60, 20 of $90. Together they make exactly $5,000.
The free tracker adds it up for you
The same chart as a spreadsheet, for Excel and Google Sheets. Type x (or the date) under an amount when you save it: the cell turns green and the tab totals what you have saved, shows what is left, and tells you whether you are on pace and the day you will finish. It also has every other challenge, and a tab where you set your own goal and number of cells.
Curious how the green cells work? It is a two-minute idea: learn conditional formatting free, in a live spreadsheet in your browser.
Tips that make it stick
- Put the printable somewhere you see every day. Watching the color spread is the part that keeps people going.
- If you are paid every two weeks, color four cells each payday instead of two a week.
- Use the spreadsheet tracker alongside the printable: it tells you the date you will finish at your current pace.
Questions
How much is the $5,000 challenge a week?
It averages $100 a week. The cells run from $20 to $90, so a tight week can be a small cell and payday a big one.
Is it really free?
Yes. The printable PDF and the Excel and Google Sheets tracker are both free. We email them to you, along with a few short tips to help you finish.
Does the tracker work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Choose Google Sheets when you get the tracker, and the email has a button that makes your own copy in your Google Drive in one click. The totals, the green cells and the pace all work there. In Excel it works on Windows and Mac, in any version from 2016.
What if I miss a week?
Nothing breaks. Color any cell you like the next time you save; the order does not matter. The tracker shows how many cells you are behind and moves your finish date, so you can catch up when you have room.
Where should I keep the money?
In a separate savings account, ideally a high-yield one, so you can see the total grow and you are not tempted to spend it. Move the money as you color the cell, so the chart and the account always match.
Can I start in the middle of the year?
Yes. Write your own start date on the chart, or type it into the tracker, and the finish date and pace follow from that day.
Ready to start?
Get the chart, pick your start date, and color the first cell today.
Both are free. Tell us where to send them and they are in your inbox in a minute. The tracker adds up what you have saved and shows your finish date.
More savings challenges
$1,378
52-Week Savings Challenge
52 cells, 1 year
$1,000
$1,000 Savings Challenge
50 cells, 6 months
$10,000
$10,000 Savings Challenge
100 cells, 1 year
Biweekly
Biweekly Savings Plan
26 paydays, 1 year
$1,000
90-Day Savings Challenge
90 cells, 3 months
Or compare all six challenges and get every printable in one PDF.