I was sure envelope budgeting was just a gimmick until I saved $340 in three weeks

After years of just glancing at my bank balance, I finally tried the cash-stuffing method last month and watching the grocery envelope run out before payday forced me to actually meal plan instead of impulse buying snacks, and now I'm curious if anyone else found a specific category that made it click for them.

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahw3024d ago

The $340 in three weeks is cute but let's be real, that's basically a few nights out for some people lol. I tried the cash thing once and honestly I just ended up with a bunch of crumpled bills in my car cup holder and forgot about them. My grocery category became a joke because I'd still swipe my card for "emergency" pizza and pretend it didn't count.

paulschmidt24d ago

Did you find that physically seeing the cash disappear made it hit different? For me it was the eating out category... I thought I barely spent anything on takeout until I saw the actual stack of twenties shrinking and realized I was dropping $60 a week on coffee runs and fast food lunches.

piper_reed22d ago

Chucked my coffee receipts on the counter one week and almost cried when I added them up. I was at $55 before I even hit Friday. The cash thing worked for me but only because I made myself count it out every Sunday night. Seeing that pile shrink made me realize I was basically setting money on fire every time I bought a bagel and a latte. I switched to making coffee at home and brought leftovers for lunch for a whole month and saved almost $200. It felt ridiculous but those little habits really do add up, your mileage may vary but it worked for me.