PARIS, Feb 28 — No societal trend escapes TikTok, and especially not inflation! After trying out "cash stuffing,” users of the Chinese social network are going wild for a new challenge that, once again, seeks to help us better manage our daily budget.

To get started, you’ll need to withdraw some cash... and get yourself 100 envelopes.

With a seemingly insatiable appetite for challenges of all kinds, TikTok users never seem to run out of ideas when it comes to thinking up new ones.

And while some of them are purely recreational, or even downright dangerous, others can actually be useful.

Take the "100 envelope challenge,” billed as a fun way to save a significant sum of money in a short period of time.

The idea is that you take 100 envelopes, number them from one to 100, shuffle them, and then pick one every day for 100 days. Then, you put the specific amount of cash in each envelope according to its number.

So, if you pick envelope 15, you put in US$15... and so on until the 100th day when all the envelopes are full.

At the end of the challenge, internet users who stick to the rules could succeed in setting aside some US$5,000, promises the video promoting the challenge.

This assumes, of course, that users do not spend the money they put in the envelopes for the duration of the challenge period, which isn’t always easy.

It’s certainly a tempting promise on paper, but it nevertheless leaves some feeling more doubtful. "How do you do it if you don’t have the money?” (rightly) asks one user in a comment. "If you can do that, then you already have US$5,000,” retorts another.

Other users point out the unrealistic nature of the challenge, while suggesting alternatives. "In theory, it could work, but why not as an alternative to the 52-week challenge?” comments one of them. "You can spread it out over the whole year to make it easier, 100 consecutive days will be hard,” suggests another.

Whether it’s realistic or not, the method is a great success on TikTok (the video above has been viewed more than 350,000 times). And as inflation bites, the Chinese social network offers no shortage of ways to help people better manage their money!

Over the summer, the social network saw the emergence of another trend similar to the "100 envelope challenge.” Called "cashstuffing,” this savings strategy consists of dividing a fixed amount of money into different envelopes each month.

Each envelope is dedicated to a specific area of expenditure, such as housing, food, transport or even leisure activities and outings.

The aim is to limit payments by card or online, since several studies have shown that we tend to spend more when we use a bank card than when we pay with cash. — ETX Studio