The 100 envelope challenge is simple: number 100 envelopes from £1 to £100, pick one at random each day and save what it says. After 100 days you have £5,050. The trouble is the pace. The average envelope is £50.50, so a 30-day stretch costs about £1,515, which is more than many people have spare in a month.
You do not have to give up on it. The same idea works with fewer envelopes, smaller steps or a slower pace. This guide covers four scaled versions, how to run them without handling cash, a tracker you can copy and when to start in 2027. For the full challenge and how it works, see our main 100 envelope challenge guide.
Four smaller versions at a glance
Each version keeps the random draw that makes the challenge fun. What changes is how many envelopes there are and how much each step is worth. The total for any version is the sum of the numbers on the envelopes, so you always know where you will finish.
| Version | Envelopes | Smallest to biggest | Average envelope | Total | Spread over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 100 | £1 to £100 | £50.50 | £5,050 | £420.83 a month |
| 50p steps | 100 | 50p to £50 | £25.25 | £2,525 | £210.42 a month |
| Lite | 50 | £1 to £50 | £25.50 | £1,275 | £106.25 a month |
| Mini | 30 | £1 to £30 | £15.50 | £465 | £38.75 a month |
If even the Mini feels like a stretch, try the Lite version in 50p steps (50p to £25, £637.50 in total) or a penny version with envelopes from 1p to £1, which saves £50.50 and is mostly about building the habit.
Pick the pace, not just the size
The classic rule of one envelope a day is what makes the full challenge hard. Nothing says you have to keep it. Slowing the pace lowers the weekly cost without changing the total. Here is what the two smaller versions cost at different speeds.
| Version | Pace | Length | Average a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite (£1,275) | One envelope a week | 50 weeks | £25.50 |
| Lite (£1,275) | Two envelopes a week | 25 weeks | £51 |
| Mini (£465) | One envelope a day | 30 days | £108.50 |
| Mini (£465) | Two envelopes a week | 15 weeks | £31 |
| Mini (£465) | One envelope a week | 30 weeks | £15.50 |
The averages hide a catch with random draws: some weeks you will pull £48 and £50, and others £2 and £3. If an unlucky week is too much, use the pairing trick below.
The pairing trick for a fixed amount each payday
Envelopes at opposite ends of the range always add up to the same amount. In the Lite version, £1 + £50 = £51, £2 + £49 = £51 and so on, giving 25 pairs of £51. In the Mini version, £1 + £30 = £31, so there are 15 pairs of £31.
That turns a random challenge into a predictable one. Draw one envelope, then take its partner too, and the cost is the same every time. It suits people whose budget has no room for a bad week.
- Lite, paid fortnightly: one pair (£51) every payday for 25 paydays.
- Lite, paid monthly: two pairs (£102) on each payday for 12 months, and one more pair at any point, gives 25 pairs.
- Mini, paid weekly: one pair (£31) every week for 15 weeks.
- Mini, paid monthly: a pair a week works out at about £124 to £155 a month, depending on whether the month has four or five weeks.
Running it without cash
Paper envelopes and banknotes are part of the appeal for some people, but they have drawbacks: the cash earns nothing, it is easy to borrow from and many people rarely carry notes now. You can keep the draw and skip the cash, the same idea as digital cash stuffing.
- Digital envelopes: write the amounts on slips of paper or use a random number picker, then move the amount into a savings account or pot by bank transfer. The envelope is just the prompt.
- One pot, one tracker: keep a single easy access savings account for the challenge and cross numbers off the tracker below. The balance should always equal the total of the crossed-off numbers, which is a quick way to check you have not missed one.
- An app that does the draw: SYM, our app, has the envelope challenge in Classic 100, Lite 50 and Mini 30 sizes. It shuffles the envelopes, reveals the next amount and shows how many are left.
- Weekly batching: if your bank makes small transfers fiddly, draw your envelopes for the week on Monday and make one transfer for the total.
A tracker you can copy
This is the Lite version: 50 numbers from £1 to £50. Print it, copy it into a notebook or screenshot it, and cross off each amount as you save it. For the Mini version, use the first three rows only (£1 to £30).
| £1 | £2 | £3 | £4 | £5 | £6 | £7 | £8 | £9 | £10 |
| £11 | £12 | £13 | £14 | £15 | £16 | £17 | £18 | £19 | £20 |
| £21 | £22 | £23 | £24 | £25 | £26 | £27 | £28 | £29 | £30 |
| £31 | £32 | £33 | £34 | £35 | £36 | £37 | £38 | £39 | £40 |
| £41 | £42 | £43 | £44 | £45 | £46 | £47 | £48 | £49 | £50 |
Running totals to check yourself against: crossing off all of the first row saves £55, the first two rows £210 and the first three rows £465. If you draw at random, count up the numbers you have crossed off instead. Our printable saving challenge trackers have more layouts if you prefer a chart to a grid.
When to start in 2027
The best start date is one that finishes before a known expensive month, so the pot is there when you need it rather than competing with it. A few options that work with the 2027 calendar:
- Lite, one envelope a week from Monday 4 January 2027: your 50th envelope falls in the week starting Monday 13 December, so you finish with £1,275 before Christmas.
- Lite in pairs, fortnightly pay from Friday 8 January 2027: 25 paydays of £51 take you to Friday 10 December.
- Mini, two envelopes a week from Monday 4 January: 15 weeks gets you to the week starting Monday 12 April, with £465 saved by spring.
- Mini, one a day from Monday 1 February: 30 days ends on Tuesday 2 March. February is a quieter month for many households after the January bills.
- Starting now: there is no rule that says January. Starting a Mini version in November means the first few weeks overlap with Christmas, so use one envelope a week until January and then speed up.
Getting through the expensive draws
With a random draw, the large envelopes can turn up in the same week as a bill. Decide in advance what you will do, so a bad draw does not end the challenge.
One simple rule: if you draw an envelope you cannot cover, put it back and draw again, but do not put it back twice in a row. Another is to save large envelopes over two paydays. If you miss a week, do not try to double up straight away; add the missed envelope to the end of the challenge. The total does not change, the finish just moves back by a week.
Check your progress once a month by adding up what you have crossed off. If you are well behind, switch to the pairing method or drop to a smaller version. Finishing the Mini is worth more than abandoning the Lite halfway.
Where to keep the money
An easy access savings account or a named pot keeps the challenge money separate from your spending and lets you pay in as often as you like. Our guide to high interest savings accounts explains what to compare. To see how the envelope versions compare with other challenges on monthly cost, read which savings challenge is right for me. If you want to see how long a bigger goal would take at your weekly pace, try the savings goal calculator.
Frequently asked questions
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