My cheap cash envelope system finally broke me last Sunday

I've been using those little envelopes for groceries for 6 months now and thought it was all a gimmick my coworker from Tulsa pushed on me. Then I hit the ATM Sunday night and realized I had $230 left over from my monthly budget that I would've blown on takeout before. Has anyone else found a weird method that actually works better than the fancy apps?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily2307d ago

Idk if this is weird but the thing that finally clicked for me was using different colored paper clips instead of envelopes. I clip them onto the front of my bank cards so I physically see the reminder every time I reach for it. The envelopes were too bulky for my wallet and I kept forgetting them at home. The paper clips force me to confront my spending in the moment, like right there at the register. Plus, when I run out of clips for the month, I literally can't use that card for groceries without seeing the empty clip and feeling the shame. Maybe it's just me but the visual slap in the face works way better than any app notification ever did.

mason_flores217d ago

That paperclip idea is genius, honestly. I feel you on the visual slap.