Vent: I switched to a cash envelope for my food budget last month

I gave myself $300 for groceries and eating out, all in cash. After two weeks, I had over $80 left, which never happens with my card. Seeing the real money leave my wallet made me think twice about every snack run. I ended the month with $45 still in the envelope, so I rolled it into this month's budget. Has anyone else had a win just from going cash-only for a specific category?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageross1mo ago

But what if you lose the envelope or get robbed?

the_holly20d ago

Has anyone tried doing this but splitting the envelope by weeks instead of months? Like $75 each week instead of $300 for the whole month. That way if you blow it early you don't have to go hungry later. @the_pat I think you might like that system since you already saw how cash changes your spending.

the_pat1mo ago

That "seeing the real money leave my wallet" part is exactly it. I did the same thing with my fun money, like for coffee and random Target trips. Having the physical cash made it feel like a real resource that was running out, not just numbers on a screen. I actually had money left over at the end of the month for the first time in forever. It just hits different when you hand over the bills.