I finally gave the cash envelope system a real shot

For months I thought the cash envelope thing was just for people who couldn't control themselves with a card. I kept my budget in a spreadsheet and figured that was enough. Then last month, I saw my grocery spending was $200 over what I planned, even with the spreadsheet. My friend Sarah, who swears by envelopes, told me to just try it for one category for two weeks. I put $150 cash in an envelope labeled 'Groceries' and that was it. Having to physically hand over the cash and see the envelope get empty made me think twice about every single purchase. I actually came in under budget by $20. It turns out seeing the money leave your hand is way different than just swiping a card. Has anyone else found that a physical method works better for them than a digital one?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily_gonzalez6813d ago

Sad single dollar" is a whole mood. My spreadsheet was also a very convincing liar.

jade63913d ago

My spreadsheet was a work of art, color coded and everything. It lied to me constantly. The day I had to put back fancy cheese because my grocery envelope was just a sad, single dollar was the day I admitted my spreadsheet was a con artist.