How much can €1 bring you? On the surface, it may not seem like a lot, but if you shop around, you can find some items that fit the bill.
But what if you saved it instead? €1 won't feel like much, but if you get into the habit of saving €1, it can add up.
For Maths Week 2025, we’re putting these tiny amounts to the test to show you how far your smallest coins can go.
What can you actually get for €1
Quite a few things actually, it requires a bit of shopping around, but if you look closely in your supermarket, stationery store or elsewhere, you’ll find some items that cost €1 or less.
A small cheese and tomato pizza
Certain food items won’t break the bank, and a small pizza will fill you up if you need a cheap and easy snack.
500ml of Whole milk
The perfect accompaniment for your cup of tea or coffee.
A mini notebook
Carry a notepad in your pocket, bag, or small pouch. Perfect for jotting down notes or ideas at home, school or elsewhere.
A mini colour-by-numbers sheet or craft kit
Found in many discount shops, these little combinations of art and numeracy are great for helping children with number recognition, pattern building and patience, all for around a euro.
A short city centre bus trip
If you’re a child or student and need to use public transport to get from A to B, there are local public transport options available for under a euro.
But what happens if you save €1 a day instead?
What you can afford with just €1 is limited. However, if you get €1 every day and save it in your piggy bank, digital savings tool, a savings account, or even a simple jar at home, it will begin to add up.
If you start saving €1 today, and continue doing so every day, you will:
- Have €7 saved in a week
- Have €30 saved in a month
- Have €365 saved in a year.
All of a sudden, you can do so much more. With €365, you could afford a weekend away, a ticket to a music festival, or treat yourself to a gift like a new gadget, equipment for your hobby, or a relaxing massage.
Small, regular saving habits can lead to bigger financial goals over time, the same principle that underpins Ireland’s long tradition of saving and investment. Understanding this simple maths shows how consistency, not just the amount, makes the difference.
The Maths of Micro-Saving
The benefit of micro-saving is that you set aside any amount you want and build up the habit slowly. This way, you can continue saving without breaking your lifestyle.
Find a way to save €1: This could be making your lunch at home and bringing it into work or college, forgoing that extra coffee or deciding to make dinner at home instead of eating out.
You can save this in several ways. You could put €1 in a piggy bank every morning, use a digital savings tool that helps you set small amounts aside automatically, or place it in your savings account or another safe spot to see your balance grow.
If you continued it for three years, you could build savings of over €1,000, which would give you even more options.
It doesn’t have to be just €1. It can be more than that; the main thing is making sure you can afford what you put aside. Understanding decisions like this is just one of the many ways Maths Week 2025 helps people of all ages understand savings, organising their money and more.
What is Maths Week 2025 all about, then?
Maths Week 2025, which runs from 11th to 19th October, is Ireland’s all-island celebration of maths. Now celebrating its 20th year, Maths Week is proudly supported by Ireland State Savings, who for over 100 years has helped people of all ages to save.
Good money-saving skills require good maths skills, and to do that, you need engaging and fun resources for families and classrooms to play.
Ireland State Savings has supported Maths Week to create brand new games and lessons to make learning more engaging through its new portal at https://www.mathsweek.ie/2025/money-sense/. Using fun and accessible games, it can help children to learn about building positive savings habits for the future.
These include the Squirrel Game for those aged 7 - 9, where the goal is to save enough acorns for the winter ahead. There’s also the Shopping Spraoi and Money Sense games for those aged 10-12, which help players practice their arithmetic and counting skills and encourage responsible money management.
For transition year students, there is a fun budgeting challenge designed to help them better understand their spending and saving habits.
In addition, there is a new online game and printable activities for different age groups so that children can have fun in various ways.
And that’s before you get into the many events happening across the island, such as Murderous Maths with the world’s best-selling maths author Kjartan Poskitt, Maths in the City in Cork, and Escape the Sum in Kilkenny. The full programme for Maths Week 2025 can be found at https://www.mathsweek.ie/2025/events/
There’s a whole host of activities and events to get lost in during Maths Week 2025. You might be able to get a few things with €1, but maths knowledge will take you far.
To see what events are happening nationwide and to find free resources to use, visit https://www.mathsweek.ie/2025/money-sense/
