How to Do the 100 Envelope Challenge Biweekly (A Paycheck Plan That Stays the Same Every Time)
A biweekly 100 envelope challenge plan: pair small and large envelopes so every paycheck deposit is exactly $202, and finish $5,050 in 25 paychecks.
The classic 100 envelope challenge has one flaw if you are paid every two weeks: the deposits are uneven. One payday you pull envelope 4, the next you pull envelope 96, and your budget has to absorb a $92 swing with no warning. A biweekly plan fixes that by deciding in advance which envelopes go with which paycheck.
The trick: pair the envelopes
Every envelope has a partner that adds up to $101 with it. Envelope 1 pairs with 100, 2 with 99, 3 with 98, all the way to 50 and 51. That gives you 50 pairs, each worth exactly $101.
Fill two pairs per paycheck and every deposit is $202. After 25 paychecks, all 100 envelopes are full and you have saved $5,050. On a biweekly schedule that is 48 weeks from the first deposit to the last, so you finish in just under a year.
The full 25-paycheck schedule
| Paycheck | Envelopes to fill | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 100, 2, 99 | $202 |
| 2 | 3, 98, 4, 97 | $202 |
| 3 | 5, 96, 6, 95 | $202 |
| 4 | 7, 94, 8, 93 | $202 |
| 5 | 9, 92, 10, 91 | $202 |
| 6 | 11, 90, 12, 89 | $202 |
| 7 | 13, 88, 14, 87 | $202 |
| 8 | 15, 86, 16, 85 | $202 |
| 9 | 17, 84, 18, 83 | $202 |
| 10 | 19, 82, 20, 81 | $202 |
| 11 | 21, 80, 22, 79 | $202 |
| 12 | 23, 78, 24, 77 | $202 |
| 13 | 25, 76, 26, 75 | $202 |
| 14 | 27, 74, 28, 73 | $202 |
| 15 | 29, 72, 30, 71 | $202 |
| 16 | 31, 70, 32, 69 | $202 |
| 17 | 33, 68, 34, 67 | $202 |
| 18 | 35, 66, 36, 65 | $202 |
| 19 | 37, 64, 38, 63 | $202 |
| 20 | 39, 62, 40, 61 | $202 |
| 21 | 41, 60, 42, 59 | $202 |
| 22 | 43, 58, 44, 57 | $202 |
| 23 | 45, 56, 46, 55 | $202 |
| 24 | 47, 54, 48, 53 | $202 |
| 25 | 49, 52, 50, 51 | $202 |
| Total | All 100 envelopes | $5,050 |
Each row uses two small envelopes and two large ones, so the deposit never changes. Check the envelopes off on your tracker as you go and the plan runs itself.
If $202 per paycheck is too much
Fill one pair per paycheck instead: $101 each payday, 50 paychecks, and a finish just under two years out. Same $5,050, half the deposit.
The pairing trick works for the smaller versions too:
- 50 envelopes: pairs add up to $51 (1 with 50, 2 with 49, and so on). One pair per paycheck is $51 for 25 paychecks, about a year, for $1,275 total.
- 30 envelopes: pairs add up to $31. One pair per paycheck is $31 for 15 paychecks, about seven months, for $465 total.
See how much each envelope challenge size saves for the full list of totals.
Paid twice a month or monthly?
If you are paid on fixed dates twice a month (24 paychecks a year instead of 26), the same 25-paycheck schedule runs about a year from first deposit to last. On a monthly paycheck, fill four pairs a month for $404. That covers 48 envelope pairs in 12 months, and a 13th, smaller month of $202 finishes the last two pairs.
Making the plan stick
- Treat the deposit as a bill. Move the $202 on payday, before anything else gets spent, the same way you would pay rent.
- Build it into your paycheck budget. A biweekly budget planner gives the challenge its own line so it isn't competing with groceries at the last minute. If you're new to budgeting by paycheck, start with how to budget a biweekly paycheck.
- Watch for the extra paychecks. Biweekly pay means two months a year have three paydays. Those are good months to get ahead by a row.
- Don't keep $5,050 in cash at home. Move the money into a savings account every month or two, and keep the tracker as the record.
Print the free 100 Envelope Challenge tracker and mark off four envelopes each payday. For a different goal or schedule, the savings challenge generator builds a custom biweekly plan that adds up to any amount you pick.