Overheard a guy at the grocery store talking about his envelope system

I was waiting in line at the checkout in Des Moines and this dude ahead of me was telling his friend he uses cash envelopes for groceries every month. He said he put $350 in an envelope on the 1st and if it runs out, he eats from his pantry until next month. That stuck with me because I always just swipe my card and wonder where my money went. I'm thinking of trying it for my own food budget starting next week. Has anyone else here done the envelope thing long term?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah2402d ago

My roommate tried this when we lived together and it was a total mess lol. She picked $300 for her first month and ran out by the third week, then started borrowing from my pantry and never paid me back. The pantry meals thing sounds good until you're eating plain rice and canned beans for five days straight. She gave up after two months because she said she felt like a kid with an allowance. I think if you're the type of person who can actually stick to a plan it might work, but she definitely wasn't.

the_stella3d ago

You mentioned "if it runs out he eats from his pantry" which is pretty smart actually. But I gotta be honest, that $350 number seems really high for a single person in Des Moines unless he's eating really fancy. I've been doing the envelope system for three years now and the real trick is adjusting the amount every month based on what you actually need. You should track what you spend for a couple weeks first before picking a number, otherwise you might pick too high or too low. Also don't forget that pantry meals can be really good if you plan ahead and buy staples when they're on sale. So don't get discouraged if your first number isn't perfect, just tweak it as you go.