The power of the cash envelope system is in its simplicity.
This is how it works. At the beginning of every month, you withdraw in cash all the money you plan on spending. Then, you divvy up your money into envelopes that represent different budget categories. For example, if you’ve budgeted $100 for eating at restaurants for the month, place $100 cash into an envelope labeled “restaurants.” That’s what you’ve got to dip into when you go out to eat. You don’t have to think about it. It’s that simple!
Not convinced? Here are 6 advantages of adopting the cash envelope system!
1. It’s a great way to save money. The ultimate goal of using cash envelopes is to save money. It can be an effective system because it brings your budget out into the open and makes it tangible. It can help reduce the likelihood that you’ll break your system and overspend.
2. The cash envelope system is flexible. Regardless of your age or financial situation, the cash envelope system can help you manage your spending. Barring categories for investing or emergency savings, it empowers you to accurately track and visualize your daily expenses.
3. You can easily see where you’re overspending. Every envelope that’s empty before the end of the month is a category where you’re potentially overspending. You now know exactly where you need to cut back.
4. It helps keep your budget organized. Nothing takes the wind out of your financial strategy quite like an overly complex budget. The cash envelope system takes the guesswork out of your budgeting and let’s you know exactly how much you can spend on what categories, and how much you have left over.
5. Cash envelopes help reduce the risk of impulse purchases. Why? Because they require that all transactions are planned ahead of time. That means fewer unbudgeted and out of the blue treats, toys, and trips!
6. It’s a great way to teach your kids about money management. That’s right, the envelope system is simple enough to teach to your kids. Consider setting up envelopes to help them budget their allowance. You can even make it a fun family project and help them decorate their envelopes! Start with simple categories like saving, spending, and giving, and add more categories as time goes on.
If you need a budget that’s simple and can help save you money, cash envelopes may be for you! Identify your top spending categories, buy a few envelopes and label them, and then start filling them with cash. Let me know what results you see!
