Frustrated with grocery overspending, I switched to cash envelopes

Now I never blow my budget.

3 comments

3 Comments

hugo_grant1mo agoTop Commenter

How do you handle it when you see a good deal but your grocery cash is already low? Like, if chicken is half off but you only have ten bucks left, do you skip it or pull from another envelope? I tried the envelope thing before but messed up when I needed something urgent like toilet paper. What's your rule for stuff that doesn't fit the budget? Do you just say no and wait until next week? I'm kinda impressed you stuck with it, lol.

andrew6931mo ago

Ever read about keeping a tiny buffer in each envelope? That saved me when deals popped up!

phoenix5491mo ago

My first month with envelopes I was so strict I missed a huge pasta sale. Now I keep a twenty dollar "deal fund" in my wallet just for those surprise discounts, like @hugo_grant mentioned. It lets me grab the cheap chicken without messing up my other categories. That little change made the whole system work for me instead of feeling trapped by it.