Customizable DIY Cash Envelopes

Are you tired of hitting the end of each month with a negative in your bank account, a mess of piled up receipts in the bottom of your purse and a pantry full of wasted food? I know I was. That darn “checkout” button online makes it too easy to overspend friends! I was SO defeated and not sure where to even begin when it came to budgeting. Then a friend of mine introduced me to a magical little system called cash envelopes!

Check out the video below to see how to assemble and create your own cash envelopes!

Access the printable and customizable cash envelope templates here: http://bit.ly/hdenvelopes

Haven’t used cash envelopes before? No problem! I have it broken down into FIVE easy steps for you below!

Quick summary:

The cash envelope system is one of breaking your budget into categories with specific amounts of spend per category. You then put that EXACT amount of cash into each envelope and you are only allowed to spend that EXACT amount for the allotted time period! Did I emphasize EXACT enough for you yet?! Ha! But seriously. Set aside those credit and debit cards for a hot minute and go back to the good old days of cash. This is SO powerful. Trust me, if you are in line at Target paying for some cleaning supplies you are way less likely to splurge on that cute shirt if you’re pulling out the money from your “Home Supplies” envelope and literally counting the bills by hand.

Now that you get the gist, here are the steps!

1. Think of the budget categories that need a cash envelope.

Some ideas may be:

Groceries
Clothing
Date Night
Home Supplies
Health & Beauty
Fitness
Entertainment
School Supplies
Pet Supplies
Gas
Gifts

… I could go on and on, but decide what works for YOU!

2. Figure out your budget amounts per category

Figure out what you want to spend per category (and what is realistic!). If a certain category is always zapping your cash, figure out how to cut back and save! If you are married, make sure your partner is on the same page for you to best succeed!

3. Print your (adorable) Hadley Designs Cash Envelopes

Download, customize (Hazah! So amazing to customize your categories before printing so they print out nice and pretty!!), and print TODAY! Don’t have a printer? No problem! Print them at your local office store!

4. Stuff them with the cash!

If you have the cash ahead of time, great! If not, make sure you have a plan, paycheck to paycheck, for which time(s) you plan to fill which envelope(s)! Consider starting out doing ½ for each one until your second paycheck comes for the rest. BUT be sure to take that into account when it’s time to spend!

5. Spend the cash!

Yep, time to get going! Stick to it y’all!! I can’t emphasize that enough! If the envelope says “Groceries” then the ONLY THING YOU EVER PURCHASE with that money is groceries! If you go to the store with $125 in your grocery envelope and your total comes to $135, don’t you dare grab an extra $10 from that date night envelope at the bottom of your purse sister! No way! You go ahead and take a few things out of the cart! Sticking to what you have committed to is KEY!! It takes planning ahead to be successful!

Don’t forget: When your money is gone, it’s GONE! If you want to go to the store but don’t have enough money, raid the fridge for leftovers. Do a pantry challenge! Dig through your pantry to see what you can find to make dinner without having to hit the grocery store. This is a great way to really get intentional about your spending!

YOU CAN DO IT!! I promise that half the battle is planning and committing and once you do that you will have a snowball effect of success. I hope these cash envelopes inspire you! Now you have a little bit of pretty to take along with you on your budgeting journey!

Here are all the supplies I use in the video above! The best part about these supplies is you buy them once and use them again and again and again! (Links below are affiliate links where I will receive a commission.)