You don't need a windfall or a six-figure salary to save $10,000 in a year. You need $27.39 a day. That's it. Skip a takeout lunch. Cancel a subscription you forgot about. Make coffee at home. The math is almost embarrassingly simple — and that's exactly why it works.
How the $27.39 Rule Works
Save $27.39 every day. $27.39 multiplied by 365 days equals $9,997.35 — close enough to $10,000 that you'll likely cross the line once you account for interest.
The rule isn't about finding one big source of savings. It's about the daily habit. Some days you save it by skipping a restaurant meal. Other days you cut a streaming service. The specific source doesn't matter. The consistency does.
The Math at a Glance
$27.39 × 365 days = $9,997.35. Park it in a high-yield savings account at 4-5% APY and you'll end the year above $10,200.
Why $27.39 Specifically?
It comes from dividing $10,000 by 365 days. The number sticks because it's oddly specific. Round numbers feel intimidating — "save $30 a day" sounds like a challenge. "$27.39" sounds like something you've already almost done.
That's not a coincidence. Behaviorally, specific targets outperform vague ones. When you know exactly what you're aiming for, you're more likely to hit it. The decimal point keeps you honest and, oddly, makes the goal feel smaller.
Think about what $27.39 actually looks like in your daily life:
- A restaurant lunch you packed instead: $14. A coffee you made at home: $5. A subscription you paused: $8. Total: $27.
- Brought lunch and skipped one impulse purchase? You're there.
- Cooked dinner instead of ordering delivery? Done, with money to spare.
How to Automate It
Manual saving is fragile. Life gets busy, and willpower runs out. The solution is to make the transfer automatic so you don't have to think about it.
Most online banks support daily recurring transfers. Set up an automatic transfer of $27.39 from your checking account to a high-yield savings account every morning. The money leaves before you have a chance to spend it.
A few things to set up:
- Open a dedicated savings account — separate from your main account so you're not tempted to dip into it.
- Schedule a daily transfer for an amount you know won't overdraft you. Even $15 or $20 daily is progress.
- Automate the automation — don't rely on logging in each day. Set it and forget it.
Want a step-by-step walkthrough? See our guide on how to automate your savings.
What If You Can't Save $27.39 Every Day?
Start with half. $13.70 a day gets you to $5,000 a year. $10 a day puts $3,650 in your account. Even $5 a day is $1,825 — real money that wouldn't exist without the habit.
The point of the $27.39 rule isn't the exact number. It's consistency over perfection. A $10 daily transfer you actually stick with beats a $50 transfer you abandon in February.
If you miss a day, don't double up and don't beat yourself up. Just start again tomorrow. Savings habits are built over months, not lost in a single day.