Three 100 envelope challenge trackers, one page each
The challenge is simple arithmetic: 100 envelopes numbered $1 to $100, each filled with the amount written on it, for $5,050 in total. The catch is the pace. The viral version fills one envelope a day, and that gets expensive quickly.
The tracker above is the version built to be finished. It pairs envelope 1 with envelope 100, 2 with 99, and so on down to 50 with 51. Every pair adds up to $101, so each of the 50 weeks costs the same and the total is still $5,050.
The sheet lists weeks 1 to 25 in the left column and weeks 26 to 50 in the right. Each row shows the week number, the pair to fill, the $101 amount and a tick box. The running total is printed under each column: $2,525 after week 25 and $5,050 after week 50. A line at the bottom covers a missed week: pick up at the next unticked row, since every pair still totals $101.
The honest pace table
Monthly figures use the weekly amount × 52 ÷ 12.
| Version | Average | Highest single amount | Time | Total | Roughly per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 envelopes a week, in pairs | $101 a week, flat | $101 in any week | 50 weeks | $5,050 | $438 |
| Starter $1 to $50, 1 a week | $25.50 a week | $50 in a week | 50 weeks | $1,275 | $111 |
| Starter $1 to $50, 2 a week in pairs | $51 a week, flat | $51 in any week | 25 weeks | $1,275 | $221 |
| Full $1 to $100, 1 a week | $50.50 a week | $100 in a week | 100 weeks | $5,050 | $219 |
| Classic: 100 envelopes in 100 days | $50.50 a day | $100 in a day | 100 days | $5,050 | $1,515 per 30 days |
The classic version asks for about $1,515 in a 30-day month. Done in order, its last 30 envelopes ($71 to $100) need $2,565 in 30 days. A monthly budget tracker printable shows whether a given weekly amount fits before the first envelope is filled.
How to use the tracker
- Pick a version and print its tracker.
- Number the envelopes to match: 1 to 100, or 1 to 50 for the starter.
- On the $101-a-week plan, fill the pair printed on that week’s row. On the grids, fill two envelopes a week, or follow another pace from the table.
- Tick the box for each week or envelope.
- Once cash piles up, deposit it and keep marking the tracker.
Starter tracker: envelopes $1 to $50 ($1,275)
Half the envelopes, about a quarter of the money: $1,275 against $5,050. The sheet is a grid of 50 boxes in five rows of ten, each with the envelope number, its dollar amount and a tick box. A panel under the grid gives the pace: at 2 envelopes a week the grid is finished in about 25 weeks.
At one envelope a week the largest week is $50. In pairs ($1 + $50, $2 + $49) it is a flat $51 a week for 25 weeks. The $1,275 can be a first block toward the target from the emergency fund calculator.
Full tracker: envelopes $1 to $100 ($5,050)
The full sheet is a ten by ten grid of 100 boxes, each with the envelope number, its dollar amount and a tick box. Three steps are printed above the grid: number the envelopes 1 to 100, draw 2 a week and fill them with cash, then check each one off, for $5,050 in about 50 weeks. A pace tip under the grid repeats the pairing from the first tracker (1 + 100, 2 + 99, 3 + 98) for exactly $101 every week.
The grid also works in any other order: one envelope a week, or small envelopes in lean weeks and large ones when a bonus or tax refund lands.
Where the money goes once envelopes fill up
Cash in a drawer earns nothing and can be lost or stolen. Once several envelopes are full, the cash can be deposited into a savings account while the tracker keeps the count; this comparison of high-interest savings accounts in Canada covers the options. Anyone who likes the cash method for everyday spending can pair it with the cash stuffing envelopes printable.
Savings moved into a TFSA can be projected with the TFSA calculator.