Hot take: I think the whole "cash envelope" thing is overhyped

3 comments

3 Comments

The cash envelope thing feels like it was designed for people who already have their spending under control, honestly. I tried it one month and ended up just stuffing random envelopes with money I never actually used. It was more work keeping track of all those little pouches than just checking my bank app. And god forbid you lose an envelope, that's just gone forever. Plus if you're paying rent or utilities online, the system kind of falls apart anyway.

amy_martin11d ago

Tone down the drama about losing the envelopes. It's no different from losing a card.

felixlane10d ago

Tried the envelope system myself years ago and it was a disaster for me too. What actually worked was switching to a simple spreadsheet where I track every dollar coming in and going out. I just update it every Sunday night takes maybe ten minutes. No physical items to lose, no carrying cash around, and I can still see exactly where I'm at with each category. If I lose a card I call the bank and they send a new one same as if I lost an envelope money. The spreadsheet method gives me the same awareness without the hassle of handling cash and separate pouches.