Mum's random envelope hack could save you £5,050 by July if you start for new year

Given that everyone's pretty skint in January, many of us will be looking for different ways to save money in the new year.

2025 is just hours away and I can't be the only one Googling 'how to save money' over the winter period.

But thanks to this mum's random envelope hack, the solution couldn't be easier, depending on your finances.

Back in 2020, which somehow feels like 10 years ago, the 'envelope challenge' was shared on Facebook, with one woman being able to save more than £5,000 in under six months.

The envelope trick could save you thousands of pounds this year (Pexels)

Quite simply, all you need is around 100 envelopes and a pen.

Using your pen, or pencil (who even has a pencil nowadays), write down an amount between £1 and £100 on the front of each envelope.

Obviously, you can use any currency, Monopoly money even if you're still bitter about losing over Christmas.

Then, over the next 25 weeks, which is less than half a year, you pull out two envelopes at random twice per week (or four per week) and deposit cash in line with the value on the front inside.

Just to make things crystal clear, if you happen to pull out the envelope with '24' written on the front - for example - you’ll need to put £24 inside.

It goes without saying, you'll need enough of a disposable income for it work.

The mum previously shared the hack on Facebook (Facebook)

But if you're a person who has the means, and wants to splash some cash on a nice holiday or two, this could be the trick for you.

By the time you reach week 25, there could be £5,050 sitting in those envelopes ready for you to collect.

Notably, you don't have to do this over 25 weeks, unless you need to save a load of money really quickly.

You could even do it in 25 days by choosing four envelopes per day if you're feeling up to it.

The mum who shared the trick on Facebook said: "If you have a three-year plan to buy a house, you could have a little over $30,000 for a down payment by doing this."

One person commented: "We should do this! It would help me save."

Another added: "I love this idea. It would be a fun way for us to save up for something special."

A third person pointed out that you’d need a decent chunk of cash each week, writing: "Okay but you gotta have that extra money first."