I’m sure you’re waiting on pins and needles on an update about our envelope system. I mean we HAVE been on it for a full pay cycle of 2 weeks now + the 1 week test run. You’re excited, RIGHT?!
Well, you should be because it’s going SPLENDIDLY. Splendidly, I tell you. We stayed under budget for both the test run and the full 2 week cycle. In fact, in all 3 weeks, we came $30 under in groceries, my most feared category, EACH week.
I can’t tell you how nice it is to open my Mint.com account and only see 2 red lines (thanks to extra Charity (yay) and pharmacy (boo)). Usually by mid-month, the budget was shot and it was difficult to find a green line. I mean, seriously, all the rumors are true…we finally know where our money is going instead of where it went! It’s amazing! We already have money set aside for our car taxes next spring for crying out loud. It’s fantastic!
All of that to say it hasn’t been complete smooth-sailing. There have been a few times we’ve been caught out without our cash and then we’re left juggling cash around envelopes after using our debit card. Scott is more of the spender than me (really) and he’s stomped his foot and lowered his bottom lip a few times when I’ve had to say, it’s not really in the budget. I can’t say I haven’t been disappointed just in the last two weeks not being able to spend like I want (fingernail polish or fall decorations, anyone?) but in hindsight it feels really good to have stuck to my guns.
We have made a few changes. There are a few categories that Dave recommends we use for envelopes like gas or vacation that is just too inconvenient or silly to keep in envelopes. So far, I’ve kept other things super divided. Food is our sore spot so I have separate envelopes for groceries, fast food, sit-down restaurants and coffee. I know it seems like a lot but knowing ahead of time it is our weakness, we are better able to keep an eye on how many times we’re eating Taco Bell and how many times we’ve gotten coffee etc. with it like this.
Speaking of food, I still haven’t mastered weekly meal planning. I’m at the grocery store constantly, only thinking of dinner a day or two ahead of time but you know, we’re literally 3 minutes from the store and it’s just hasn’t been a big deal. It’s the only way I don’t completely stress over the whole thing. And you know they say the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So I’m tackling this dinner thing bite by bite…or something like that.
So all in all, I really can not imagine not having this even just a few weeks in. All our needs are met, our wants are managed and we have flexibility to help others. Win, win, win!
You know, this is something I’ve been seriously considering. I am so bad about keeping up with my checkbook register when I use my debit card. Money seems to disappear before I realize it and I’m beginning to think that having actual cash in my hand is the only way I’m ever going to comprehend what I’m really spending. As a single mom, that’s a big, big deal! Thanks for writing about your experience with it!
It is SO hard to spend cash!!!
Amy staying on budget is so hard, especially having kids, things just pop up, but it feels good when it all starts working out. I won’t send my husband to the grocery store anymore because he just can’t stay on budget.
Scott really has to control himself at the grocery store too. He’ll tell you it’s a weakness of his. He loves juices and snacks. And not cheap Little Debbie’s either. He likes dried fruit and nuts which is great but very expensive!
Amy recently posted…The Water Marbling Manicure
The system does work my wife and I have run it for 3 years and have nothing left but a car and house. We are now looking at refinancing our home for the 15 year instead of 30. Found out it would save us more than 50,000 over the life of the loan.
Matt chandler recently posted…Use the Find command in Safari with out typing the CMDF First
Congrats! We would really like to do this too although we are already halfway to 15. Yikes!
Amy recently posted…The Water Marbling Manicure
You pay your car taxes in the spring? Ours are due in October. Is the due date based on when you move into the area? I suppose it is. I wonder if we can change the due date because it’s rough having to dish out car taxes around the time that Christmas shopping starts to gear up.
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It’s all dependent on when you apply for them. We bought both our cars in the Spring so we renew in the Spring, only one month apart. I’m not sure if you can switch it or not. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could since everyone’s is different.
Amy recently posted…The Water Marbling Manicure
I love reading about your progress! I am doing my best to keep on a budget and I do believe it takes time and I am seeing more and more the benefits of changing my attitude towards money and how I handle it. Its saving me a lot at the moment! 🙂
Becky recently posted…A Worshipful Heart
We are on a modified Dave Ramsey plan at our house… my hubs sounds like yours but he’s coming around (slowly)…. and actually, we don’t even do the cash system any more at the grocery store (but we’ve been doing it for almost 2 years…. so it’s habit… and i just kinda know…. we’ve got 125 a week… BUT… i do a menu plan and a list… so….it’s not hard…
and you’ll get used to the menu plan… seriously… i couldn’t… but keep at it… now, i can’t survive without it… i started with meals that i wanted to have on hand for the week and not necessarily wanting to pin them to a specific day… that was committment
but now? I lay out the week on Sunday… and i write how many people i’m feeding… it varies from 2-6 (or more if we have company) and then what’s going on (is there practice, etc) and then plan around that…
like tonight? choir practice so me and thing 2 have to be out of here early… so we’re having something simple… automatic cheeseburgers and mac and cheese…
just helps…
(oh and it’s nothing fancy… half the time it’s a scrap piece of paper and it’s just on the fridge…. and because it’s on the fridge? the hubs will often start dinner if he gets home first…)
Heather {Desperately Seeking} recently posted…What I Learned This Week — The Haitian Edition
That’s awesome! Congrats on your success to here. We’re wanting to do something similar. We recently got a mint.com account too, but for some reason it’s having trouble connecting to our bank. Have a ticket open, and I’m hoping their tech guys can get it fixed.
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Congrats on sticking with it Amy! We used to follow Dave’s envelope system several years ago, but we stopped, and now things are all messy again. We’ve talked about going back to it but haven’t gotten past the talking stage yet. LOL
We’re struggling too with the meal planning, but I keep on doing what I can. Sooner or later we’ll get the hang of it.
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