The 15-Week America Saves Challenge runs from February 21 to June 4, 2016 and challenges participants to save money for a short-term goal over 15 weeks. Participants can choose from the Basic Challenge of saving $10, $20, and $30 over weeks or the "Hard Core" Challenge of starting at $10 a week and increasing savings by $5 each week. Participants track their weekly savings, submit their results at the end of the challenge, and can win prize gift cards for completing the challenge. The challenge is funded by a grant to promote savings.

1. 15-Week America Saves Challenge
February 21- June 4, 2016
Challenge yourself to save money for a short-term goal over a 15-week period that starts during America Saves
Week 2016. Register online, pick a Challenge plan (Basic Challenge, “Hard Core” Challenge, or any other
financial goal of your choice) and track your progress. Submit your results and you could win a gift card prize.
15-Week America Saves Challenge Instructions
1. Register online at http://bit.ly/15WeekMoneyReg, You will be asked to provide four pieces of information:
your name, e-mail address, state of residence, and the dollar amount that you plan to save.
2. Set a personal savings goal and decide which 15-Week America Saves Challenge you will participate in:
Basic or Advanced. See http://bit.ly/15WeekMoneyChallenge for details.
The Basic Challenge includes five weeks of $10 savings, five weeks of $20 savings, and five weeks of $30
savings, resulting in a total accumulation of $300.
The “Hard Core” Challenge starts with a $10 weekly deposit and ramps up the savings deposit by $5 per
week for a final deposit of $80, resulting in a total accumulation of $675.
3. Keep track of your weekly savings on the Excel tracking form (spreadsheet) that you will be sent before the
Challenge begins. You will also be sent a weekly e-mail with motivational messages.
The dollar amounts on the spreadsheet are a guideline; participants can save more or less, as desired.
4. At the end of the Challenge, e-mail a copy of your completed spreadsheet and a photo of you holding your
savings and a sign that describes what you saved for. Specific instructions will be provided.
5. Persons completing the four steps described above will be entered into a drawing to win three gift cards
worth $200, $150, and $100.
6. Challenge winners will be announced and prizes awarded during the week of June 6, 2016.
This project was funded with an America Saves Week mini-grant provided to the University of Florida
IFAS Extension and Rutgers Cooperative Extension by the Consumer Federation of America with
funding from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. For further information and questions about
the 15-Week America Saves Challenge, contact Elaine Courtney at ecourtne@ufl.edu.