From 100 envelopes to revenge saving – the social media money trends under 35s are keen to try next year

Young people between 24 to 35 are considering a return to old school physical cash saving in 2026 in a bid to kickstart the habit. 

More than three in five people in this age category are thinking about taking part in savings challenges next year, including the so-called ‘100 envelopes’ method, Nationwide Building Society data shows. 

Other challenges this age group said they would try in 2026 included ‘revenge saving’ and the ‘no-spend’ challenge.

Savers aged under 35 are the most ambitious with their goals for the next year, aiming to save £14,912 in 2026, compared to the average saving goal of £7,535, the data shows.

This year, Britons earned an average of £436 interest on their savings, but just over one in eight earned no interest, with many keeping their money in current accounts – earning little or no return.

100 envelope challenge 

This is a social media saving trend which sees savers stuffing envelopes with different amounts of cash every week to save a set amount of money. 

Savers take 100 envelopes and write numbers 1 to 100 on each of them. This number is the number of pounds they will need to add to the envelope.

Each week, savers pick out two envelopes at random and put the amount shown on the front into them. In 50 weeks, they would have saved £5,050.

At the end of the challenge, you could put this sum in a one year fix to turbocharge your savings. 

The best one-year savings deal currently pays 4.51 per cent and is offered by Kent Reliance. If you put the £5,050 into this account you would earn in £282.52 interest. 

No-spend challenge

As part of the no-spend challenge, people will go through strict periods of not purchasing anything beyond absolute necessities or use up all the products or food they already own before replacing them as a way to save money.

These could last for a week, where people will try not to spend money on anything but essentials for a week, or a month.  

There is a ‘no buy’ thread on social media platform Reddit where revenge savers share the savings they have made from limiting their spending. 

Revenge saving

Revenge saving gained popularity on social media sites over the summer as a way for younger people to budget and take control of their finances. 

It involves carefully tracking how much you are saving, as with normal budgeting activities.

But revenge saving goes a step further by deliberately not spending and taking part in savings challenges to build up a pot of savings.

Some revenge savers force themselves to sell their belongings before making new purchases, while others will transfer payments into their savings accounts as soon as they get paid each month, before they’ve paid rent, mortgages or other bills so that their savings are taken care of before they get to the end of the month.

The trend of revenge saving is thought to have originated in Chinese media and on social platforms. It has made tracks in the US and now is becoming popular in the UK. 

Richard Stocker, head of savings at Nationwide, said: ‘It’s encouraging that most people aim to save in 2026, with many planning to put away more next year. 

‘However, too many are missing out on interest by leaving money in current accounts. Our advice is simple: start early and save regularly to build a habit.’