5 Savings Challenges to Help with ADHD Budgeting

Managing finances can be tricky for anyone, but when you have ADHD, sticking to a budget or saving money can feel especially daunting. ADHD often comes with impulsive spending, difficulty planning for the future, and struggles with maintaining routines.

Savings challenges are like fun games designed to keep you engaged and motivated. They often come with clear goals, milestones, and sometimes even rewards at the end, which can be super effective for keeping your focus and commitment. Plus, they're a great way to introduce some structure into your financial life without it feeling like a chore.

In this blog, we'll dive into five fun savings challenges that are perfect for anyone, but especially helpful for those with ADHD.

Ready to turn saving money into a game? Let's go!

The 52-Week Savings Challenge

How It Works:
The 52-Week Savings Challenge is a classic and super simple way to save money gradually over the course of a year. The idea is that each week, you save an amount corresponding to the week number. So, in week 1, you save £1; in week 2, you save £2, and so on until week 52, where you'll save £52.

Why It’s Great for ADHD:
This challenge works well for people with ADHD because it's easy to follow and builds slowly, making it less overwhelming. The structure of the challenge helps create a routine without being overly demanding. Plus, by the end of the year, you’ll have saved £1,378 without feeling like you had to make a massive sacrifice. You can make it more exciting by keeping a visual chart to track your progress—each week, mark off the amount you’ve saved, which can be a satisfying way to see your success.

Pro Tip:
If you find that certain times of the year are financially tighter than others (like during the Christmas period), you can do the challenge in reverse or mix up the weeks. For example, if you know December will be expensive, you could save the higher amounts (£50-£52) during less expensive months and smaller amounts during costlier months.

The No-Spend Challenge

How It Works:
The No-Spend Challenge is all about cutting out non-essential spending for a set period, like a week, two weeks, or even a month. During this time, you only spend money on necessities like rent, groceries, and utilities, and avoid spending on things like eating out, new clothes, or entertainment.

Why It’s Great for ADHD:
Impulsive spending can be a big challenge for those with ADHD, and this challenge helps curb that by setting clear boundaries. It's a short-term commitment that requires you to focus on needs versus wants, which can be eye-opening and lead to better spending habits. Plus, it’s a challenge that can be done with friends or family for extra accountability and support, which can make it more enjoyable.

Pro Tip:
If going a whole month seems too daunting, start small with a weekend or week-long challenge. You can also plan out activities to keep yourself busy during the no-spend period, like movie nights at home, exploring free local events, or having home dinners with friends.

The £5 Note Challenge

How It Works:
The £5 Note Challenge is incredibly simple: every time you receive a £5 Note, you save it. That’s it! You can put your £5 Note in a jar, envelope, or a special savings account. The challenge is to see how much you can accumulate over time without feeling like you're missing the money.

Why It’s Great for ADHD:
This challenge works well because it’s straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of planning. It plays into the natural tendency to act on impulse—in this case, impulsively saving rather than spending! The thrill of finding a £5 note to save can be just as satisfying as spending it, and watching the pile grow can be incredibly motivating.

Pro Tip:
If you’re not someone who uses cash often, you can adapt this challenge for digital spending. For example, every time you see a £5 transaction on your card, you transfer £5 to your savings account.

The Round-Up Savings Challenge

How It Works:
The Round-Up Savings Challenge leverages everyday purchases to help you save. Every time you make a purchase, you "round up" the amount to the nearest pound, and the difference is automatically transferred to your savings. For instance, if you spend £3.50, you’d round up to £4 and save £0.50. Some banks and apps offer this as an automated service, but you can also do it manually if you prefer.

Why It’s Great for ADHD:
This challenge is great because it turns everyday spending into a savings opportunity without requiring much effort. It’s automatic, so there’s no need to remember to set money aside, which can be helpful if you struggle with consistency. Over time, those small amounts add up without you even noticing.

Pro Tip:
Check if your bank offers a round-up savings  feature; many do.

The Envelope Challenge

How It Works:
The Envelope Challenge involves labelling envelopes with different amounts of money, such as £5, £10, £20, etc. Each week (or whenever you choose), you draw an envelope at random and save the amount written on it. The challenge continues until you’ve filled all the envelopes. You can choose to label 20, 50, or even 100 envelopes depending on how much you want to save.

Why It’s Great for ADHD:
The Envelope Challenge adds an element of surprise and excitement, which can be very engaging for someone with ADHD. The randomness of picking an envelope keeps things fresh and interesting, reducing the risk of losing motivation. It also allows for flexibility—you can prepare envelopes with amounts that fit your budget, whether big or small.

Pro Tip:
To make this challenge even more exciting, add a few "bonus" envelopes with fun rewards written inside, like “Treat yourself to a movie night” or “Buy a nice coffee.” This way, saving money feels rewarding in more ways than one.

Rule Money App

Turning boring chores like budgeting into something more like a game is an excellent way of keeping motivation and building good habits for someone with ADHD. At Rule, we're turning budgeting and saving into a game via our money app designed for people with ADHD. You take care of your finances by taking care of your virtual companion and completing challenges and visually engaging budgeting tasks. Give it a go today!