PSA: I thought the cash envelope system was just for people who can't control themselves.

For years I saw those videos of people with labeled envelopes and thought it was way too simple, like something you'd do for a kid's allowance. My wife convinced me to try it for our grocery and gas money after we kept going over budget. We put $400 in the grocery envelope and $150 in gas at the start of the month. It felt weird using cash, but seeing the money physically leave the envelope made me think twice about every extra snack or drive. We actually had $20 left in the grocery envelope at the end of the month, which never happened with cards. I was totally wrong about it being a gimmick. Has anyone else had a method they thought was silly that actually worked for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

irisjenkins23d ago

Wait, you only spent $400 on groceries for a whole month? That's the part that's blowing my mind... we're a family of three and I can't even get close to that. The cash thing makes sense, but the number itself is just wild to me. Maybe it's where you live or something. The envelope trick worked but I'm stuck on how little you spent.

black.pat15d ago

Yeah, the "family of three" part got me too. I read a blog post by a mom who tracked every single thing she bought. She said cutting out all drinks except tap water and milk saved them over $100 a month. She also planned meals around what was already in the pantry before buying more. It sounds simple but she swore it cut their bill by a third. Location definitely plays a huge role, but those little habits add up fast.

fiona_cooper23d ago

Our family of four hits $600 easy in the Midwest.