Cash and Envelopes, that’s my Budget! From the time I was about 5 years old my parents gave me an allowance. I think that I got $3 each week. I remember having three envelopes and my parents teaching me I needed to put some money in each cash envelope category. My envelopes were labelled savings, spending, and giving. I had three dollars and three envelopes so my decision was pretty clear. The Envelope System Fast forward about twelve years and I am still using the envelope system today. I now have six envelopes titled: spending, church, clothes, college, car and retirement. How Do You Get Started Using The Envelope System? I’m so glad you asked! The cash envelope system really is very simple. First, you need to decide what areas you most need to control spending and where it is reasonable to use a cash only system. My mom, for example, has used the envelope system in the past for spending, eating out, and groceries because those were the areas where she wanted to be most careful with managing her money. Once you decide which ‘categories’ you want to use, get an envelope and label it. We had some red envelopes left over from Christmas […]