Can we talk about how much I save by using a cash envelope for groceries each week

I started putting $80 cash in a labeled envelope every Sunday instead of swiping my card, and after 2 months I stopped grabbing extras like fancy cheese or cookies because seeing the cash dwindle made me actually think before buying.

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.mason8d agoMost Upvoted

Did you find you started getting creative with meals too? I did the same thing with $60 a week for my family of three, and it totally changed how I look at leftovers lol. Seeing the cash get thin by Thursday really killed the urge to grab a bag of chips or those pricey pre-made salads.

jenny_jackson8d ago

Oh totally, it forced me to get way more creative than I ever thought I would. I started doing this thing where I take whatever meat and veg are left around Wednesday and just throw it into a big pot with some broth and call it soup. One week I had a half a cabbage, a sad carrot, and some leftover chicken thighs and made a surprisingly good stew thing that lasted two more lunches. The craving for a bag of chips definitely fades when you know you have exactly $4.50 left for the week and those pre-made salads can wait until payday. It's wild how fast you learn to stretch a single rotisserie chicken into three different meals.