I Tried Saving ₹500 a Week Using UPI – Here’s How Much I Had in 6 Months {update}

No big financial planning, no complex apps, and definitely no spreadsheets. Just one promise to myself, and a weekly reminder.

Why ₹500 and Why Weekly?

Let’s be honest — saving ₹10,000 or ₹20,000 a month sounds great until rent, bills, and life get in the way.
But ₹500? That’s just one pizza, two movie tickets, or one weekend of not ordering dessert.

And weekly felt more doable than monthly. It’s easier to adjust small habits every 7 days than suddenly realize at the end of the month that you’re broke.

To make your financial journey more inclusive, here’s a helpful guide on How to Save Money From Salary in India – Budgeting Tips for ₹10K to ₹50K.

My Setup – UPI + Hidden Folder

Every Sunday night, I’d send ₹500 via UPI to a second account I barely used (my old SBI account). I renamed it “DO NOT TOUCH” and even removed it from my phone’s UPI app list.

Pro tip? If you use Google Pay or PhonePe, you can tag these transfers as “Savings” and track them later.
Also, I set a recurring calendar reminder: “Send 500 to future you.”

Want to plan your own savings goal? Try this simple weekly savings calculator I found helpful. (inbound link)

The Unexpected Magic of Momentum

The first few weeks were tricky. I skipped an outing, ordered street momos instead of Zomato, and once even chose local train over Uber.

But soon, it became fun. Like a game.

Some weeks, I’d manage to save ₹700. Some weeks only ₹300. But I never skipped.
I made it a rule: “Something is better than nothing.”

So, What Did I End Up With?

After 6 months — that’s about 26 weeks — here’s what I had:

• Direct ₹500 x 26 = ₹13,000
• Extra I added on some weeks: ₹2,200
• Total: ₹15,200 in my ignored SBI account

₹15,000 might not sound like a lot to some, but for me? It was the first time I saw my savings cross 5 figures — without guilt, without loans, and without even trying too hard.

What I’ll Do Next

Now that the habit is in place, I’m bumping it to ₹1,000/week.

Also looking to invest a part of this saved amount into liquid mutual funds (you can read more here) — because savings sitting idle = money sleeping.

Also looking to invest a part of this saved amount into liquid mutual funds (you can read more about UPI and digital transactions on the official RBI FAQ page). (outbound link)

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll reward myself with that pizza I skipped 6 months ago.

If you’re struggling to start saving — don’t overthink. Start small.
₹500 a week won’t change your life overnight. But it will teach you something very few schools do — how to pay yourself first.