Warning: I almost gave up on my budget because of my coffee habit

I was spending about $60 a month on coffee shop lattes without even thinking about it. Last month I tried putting that exact cash in an envelope at home every Monday morning instead. It felt weird at first, but seeing the physical money disappear made me cut back to just two fancy coffees a week. Has anyone else tried a cash envelope for a small, sneaky expense that was wrecking their budget?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley433mo ago

That cash envelope trick works because it makes abstract spending feel painfully real.

nancycooper3mo ago

It's more about making the budget feel real, not painful.

eric_knight73mo ago

Totally get what Riley is saying about it feeling painfully real. That physical cash makes you stop and ask if the thing is worth the actual money in your hand, which a card swipe never does. I started doing it for takeout and was shocked by how fast the envelope got empty. It forces a different kind of math in your head, where you're trading one real thing for another instead of just losing points.