I was dead wrong about using cash envelopes for groceries

For like 6 months I laughed at my friend Sarah for pulling out those little labeled envelopes at the checkout counter. Thought it was some grandma system that would never work in 2024. Then I hit a point where I was checking my bank balance every single day and still somehow overspending on food by like $150 a month. Gave it a shot three weeks ago with $280 cash divided into two weeks. First week I had $12 left on Thursday and actually had to plan meals instead of grabbing takeout. Second week I hit the dollar store for canned beans instead of the fancy organic market. Im down to $267 spent total for those three weeks which is wild for me. Has anyone else converted from hating the envelope method to loving it? What made you finally try it?

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1 Comment

dakota_murphy901mo ago

I mean, is anyone else kind of weirded out by carrying that much cash around? I get that it works for some people, but I had a wallet stolen once with like $40 in it and it was a nightmare. I keep track of my spending on a simple notes app on my phone, and it does the same thing without me having to remember to bring envelopes to the store. If I run out of money in my food category, I just use my debit card for what's left and it hits me the same way. Plus then I'm not standing at the register fumbling through labeled envelopes while people wait behind me.