Shoutout to that envelope system I swore would never work

I always thought the whole cash envelope thing was just for extreme couponers or people who watch too much YouTube. But after 3 months of overspending on takeout in Phoenix, I gave it a shot. I put $250 in a food envelope and when it was gone, I actually stopped eating out. It sounds so dumb but actually seeing the cash leave my hand made me pause way more than swiping a card. Has anyone else had a budgeting method they laughed at but ended up loving?

3 comments

3 Comments

violag8017d ago

Swiping a card feels almost fake" - yeah until you see your bank account at zero lol.

maxl9317d ago

Is it weird that @the_brian's point about cash feeling more real is something I read in that book "The Psychology of Money" too? That visual loss of physical money really does hit different than watching numbers change on a screen.

the_brian17d ago

Honestly, the real reason it works for me is the envelope system keeps me from hiding my spending from myself. Swiping a card feels almost fake, like the money isn't real, but watching those twenties disappear in a week was a reality check nothing else gave me. It's basically a cheap way to trick your brain into feeling every purchase.