cash budget envelopes

I've been pretty good about the cash budget thing. It's really pretty simple when you cut way way back. 

Over the past 2 months I've cut out....

Diapers and wipes. Savings $40 a week.

{Cloth diapering is going well, Still having to fiddle around and figure a few things out, But I'm committed!} 

5 hour energies are totally gone. Savings $20 a week. 

{that was between both of us}

Paper towels are gone. Savings $20 about every week and a half. We used a LOT of paper towels. We are using reusable ones these days and really like it.

Nobody is getting new clothes until we have to go school shopping so there is no clothing budget right now.

I started making my own hand soap and laundry soap and using vinegar {With lemon peels soaked in and some essential oils} as our all purpose cleaner. It actually works really well, and it isn't stinky. 

I'll do a whole post on those later this week. 

And we are set on toiletries from my couponing days, So we don't have any expenses for those right now. So really the only thing I have to buy is gas and groceries. The grocery budget is $100 a week. Most of that goes to fresh fruits and veggies and a few pounds of meat. The bulk of our meals is coming from food storage. {rice, beans, pasta, oatmeal, and wheat.} 

So, back to cash. This is in my opinion the best way to get started on a budget. And stay on one for that matter. Once it's gone, it's gone. No going over budget. You'll learn to buy the real needs and not the conveniences real quick. 

I'm really surprised at how many ladies I see at the grocery store with their envelopes! It's pretty exciting!

I was sick of having ugly plain white envelopes for my cash, And so I made some cute ones.

I just took some scrapbook paper and traced a regular envelope, And then folded and glued where the original envelope was glued together. 

Pulled out the old cricket and made some labels to designate which week of groceries, or Costco, or miscellaneous. Punched some holes, And then did a blanket stitch to hold them all together. {You can totally skip that part. It doesn't really make that big of a difference. I would actually prefer to have mine separate, But how was I to know that before hand? That just goes to show that not all ideas on Pinterest are awesome. }

It does fit nicely in my wallet and they are way way prettier than plain old white envelopes and they are a bit sturdier too! And I don't know about you, But when things are pretty, it makes me want to use them. More motivation to stick to cash!