Switched to a cash envelope system in April, still shocked it works
I used to just swipe my card for groceries and whatever else came up, then wonder where the month went. Started pulling $300 cash every two weeks for food and household stuff, and somehow I'm actually staying under now. Anyone else find that physically handing over money makes you second guess a purchase way more than tapping a card?
The part about handing over cash making you second guess purchases really hit home for me. I did the same thing back in March, started with $250 a week for everything non-bill related, and it was rough for the first month. But there's something about watching that envelope get thinner that makes you put stuff back on the shelf, especially the junk you don't actually need. I even started keeping the change in a jar and that added up to almost $40 extra by the end of the month. It's like the cash makes the loss feel real, where a card just feels like a promise you make to future you and then forget about...