It was 2 1/2 years ago when my husband and I switched over to the cash envelope system to help us stay on budget. We are still going strong, although I can’t say we are sticklers. We both still carry credit cards and I often forget to bring my envelopes with me when I go shopping so there is lots of “balancing the envelopes” happening, so to speak, when I return home with a credit card receipt.
However, we have a strict budget on how much we aim to spend in each area every month and it has kept us debt-free and in a good place to make a huge purchase (our first home) in 2015. I can’t recommend switching to a cash budget enough if you aren’t already using one! Especially if you feel like you just can’t keep up or constantly have buyer’s remorse (I was there).
One of the best things I ever did was give my husband and myself a “personal budget” each month. We get a specific amount of cash each month to spend as we please. No more fights over “why did you eat out instead of pack a lunch?” or “I can’t believe you bought another pair of shoes…” Money is an easy thing to argue over when you share it with another human being, so having cash that you can spend however you want and not receive criticism for is a marriage-saver!
Anyhoo, I thought I was really clever when I made my first cash envelopes and offered readers a free printable to do the same; it was so cute with its little string closure. But I quickly learned that it was impractical… I didn’t want to remove the string every time I needed to open the envelope, and I didn’t end up keeping coins in the envelopes like I thought I might, so the closure became necessary (coins go into a jar and the jar gets turned into cash when it gets full).
I also realized that these envelopes wear out quickly from such frequent use, so I didn’t want to have to recreate the string closure every time I needed a new envelope.
So I came up with a new simple and practical envelope! It is easy to assemble, which makes replacing the envelopes not such a daunting task.
Start by downloading the editable PDF template { HERE }.
Then print one envelope for each category you need. The PDF allows you to type in your own category and the amount.
Follow the steps below to assemble your envelopes.
Stuff and enjoy! (and stay on budget!)
