Progress on the Money Challenge

So it's time of year, folks.  The time of year when I start to feel I have nothing new to share with you.  That's not true, of course.  Even if I repeat some topics, I'm still practicing sustainable living techniques.

But mostly I'm kind of bummed because this is the time of year I should be starting to share new developments in the garden with you.  Last year, by this time, we were starting to get unseasonably warm days, and I was planting potatoes and peas.  The year before, we started broadforking the ground in February.  This year, we are watching a 5 inch snowfall melt and I am trapped inside.

So I am doing what I always do when the weather is untenable, and I am saving my pennies for my next trip south.  Remember the 52 Week Money Challenge from New Year's?  It is still going strong.

For those of you who didn't see this idea around Facebook and the like, the idea of the challenge is to put aside, each week, the number of dollars corresponding to that week's number on the calendar.  So, in week one, you save $1; in week 2, $2; and so on until the last week of the year you save $52 and have a total of $1,378 in your account or envelope.  Many people are using this to bolster emergency savings, but I'm in the group that is using it to add to the vacation fund.  So, in addition to my normal savings into retirement accounts and my main savings (that pays for household improvements and emergencies), I am putting aside money from my weekly cash to do the challenge.

If you follow the plan exactly, we are on week 13 and you should have $91.  I have been skipping around a bit, as you can see from my chart, because sometimes I have a $20 bill and slide it in the envelope and then check off whatever week or weeks that corresponds to.  I currently am running a little ahead at $113.

Of course, things are going to get more interesting when the weekly amounts are in the $40-50 range, because my weekly cash is usually in the $50-75 range, so I might feel I'm shorting myself a bit.  But as of right now, I am on track, and I'm looking forward to taking my cash and making quarterly deposits into the vacation fund.

How are you doing on the 52 Week Money Challenge?  If you haven't started yet, please jump in where we are and tell us how you are doing!