Money
What If I Saved Every £1 Coin?
What if I saved every £1 coin?
A pound coin is an object. That is its advantage over a standing order you never look at, and its disadvantage in a country that pays for more and more things by tap. This experiment still takes the jar seriously. Default six coins a week — a round £6 — for ten years, with interest off. If you do still meet cash, six pounds a week is £312 a year and a little over £3,000 in a decade. Optional interest is there if the jar is emptied into an account; it is not a reason to keep coins under a bed. MoneyHelper would rather you used an actual savings product once the jar is no longer a game.
Change this
Results update as you move the controls.
0% for a jar. Any rate is optional and not guaranteed.
Your result
£3,120
in the jar
6 coins a week
- Per year
- £312
- Coins in the period
- 3,120
- Illustrated growth
- £0
- Rate used
- 0%
What does that mean?
6 pound coins a week for 10 years, with no interest applied, comes to £3,120 put aside. That figure is contributions only. A rate above zero is optional and not guaranteed.
Compare
| 3 a week | £1,560 |
|---|---|
| 6 a week | £3,120 |
| 12 a week | £6,240 |
Compare scenarios
Physical coins, digital total
The model does not care whether the pounds are coins, round-ups on a debit card, or a weekly transfer of the same size. Six is a default that fits a cash-using week; if you almost never see a £1 coin, the honest slider position may be one or two. The spare-£10 experiment is the sibling for notes.
Jars do not compound
Leave the rate at zero and you are counting metal. A rate above zero assumes the coins are banked and then treated like any other monthly contribution. Inflation still gnaws at both versions. A jar on a shelf is particularly good at losing buying power, which is a charming way to store nothing much.
Small units are easier to start
Related daily and coffee experiments are the same psychology at a different denomination. If the jar works because it is visible, keep it visible. If it works because it is a number, a standing order will usually beat it. This page will not referee that.
How we calculated this
Weekly amount = coinsPerWeek × £1. Monthly equivalent = weekly × 52 ÷ 12, then the standard monthly annuity at the optional rate. This experiment provides estimates for educational purposes and is not financial advice. Actual results vary depending on rates, fees, taxes, inflation and individual circumstances. Coins sitting in a jar earn 0%. A positive rate assumes banking the habit and is not guaranteed.
Go further
A curated rabbit hole from this question. Each link is a real experiment, not a random suggestion.
You might also like
What If I Put Every Spare £10 Away?
A note-shaped habit: how often a spare £10 appears, and what that becomes over the years.
Explore
What If I Saved £5 Every Day?
Turn a small daily amount into a running total over the years, with optional illustrated interest.
Explore
What If I Saved My Coffee Money?
Price a drinks habit over the years. About the receipt, not about caffeine.
Explore
What If I Saved £100 Every Month?
A standing-order-shaped habit: monthly amount, years, and an optional illustrated rate.
Explore
What If You Reclaimed 30 Minutes Every Day?
Watch a modest daily recovery grow into days and years over a horizon you choose.
Explore
What If I Saved £10 Every Day?
A rounder daily habit, stretched over more years, with a gentle illustrated rate you can turn off.
Explore