OK, I must say...

[mateosbaby]

The envelopes suck. They just are not working for us. I still want to use cash, but recording it in a notebook was even less convenient. My husband just wants us to use the debit card and record all receipts on a daily basis and generate reports (my techie husband who loves Excel, etc). What to do??? How do you all make this work? We've been trying this since May and STILL cannot get it to do what we want it to do. Tips???

[IntlMom]

we cannot do the envelopes either......

our way works for us, but probably not for every one......we just make it a game in life to spend as little as possible......budget done!

[Cricketlegs]

I just plan a mini budget for every payday and a monthly budget for the whole thing.

Every pay day I get cash for gas, grocery, stockpile, allowances, dds school lunches and pet foods and deposit the rest.

With the deposited I either write checks(I only write 2 a month) or do online banking and pay my bills following the mini payday budget and put the paid amounts in my monthly budget,

WIth the cash I just spend the alloted amount for each item I got cash for until it is gone.

Simple way to do it if you are able to follow your budget. I don't have any problems at all because my main goal in life is to save, pay off debt and live a simple clutter free life.

I don't ever not pay my bills and I alway follow the budget.

[Denvergirlie]

I never used envelops, just my debit card, but had a budget that I kept to regaurdless

[FrugalMomof3]

I personally did not do the envelope system either, too much of a hassle for me... to each his own

[tmffv]

I don't use the envelope system per say, but I try to keep us on cash only as much as possible. For whatever reason, having a debit card is really bad for us, whenever we use them we waste so much $$$ on unnecessary purchases.

DH gets paid weekly, so I make a weekly budget. I have to plan out at least a month ahead of time so I know which bill gets paid on what week. Each week, I take out enough cash for gas, groceries, and any other extra item that needs to be purchased. Bills are paid online or by check. Whatever is left over at the end of the week is what we have to spend for weekend fun. Sometimes that means we stay home or do free things, but it's a good habit for us to get into because in the past, we used to waste a lot of money eating out and doing fun activities that we really couldn't afford.

[changed4life]

No envelopes here either. Too much bother. I just use the debit card, stick to the budget as close as possible and record everything.

[Michelle68]

We have never used the envelope system, either. It just doesn't work for us.


--Michelle

[jenloveschip2001]

We use our debit cards. I check our online banking everyday to make sure that my hubby didn't forget to give me a reciept. I usally pull out $20 cash a week for my hubby for blow money but that is the only cash we usally have.If we have cash I find that we spend it to freely. Like I wouldn't think twice about going in the store and buying a coke if I have cash but if I don't it really isn't worth the hassle of using the debt card for a $1.50. Also with cash I don't write down where it goes like I do the debit card so I am always wondering where exactly it was all spent.

[SheKat]

I use a 2 account system. I have a main budget for the year and then spilt the total amount of regular bills and repayments due and a little flex amount for the unusual bill into 52 weekly payments adn then transfer that amount into a seperate account and it is from that account that I pay bills and do transfers for repayments. With the other debit account we buy our groceries and petrol and other small things from. It works for us and we dont have cash or easy access to money that is earmarked for other things.

[Ceashels]

Greebo and I use the debit card and track thru Quicken.

Are your budgets not working for you because of over spending in an area? Do you have a goal that isn't realistic ?

If you keep going over in a specific area then that needs to be addressed by raising the budgeted amount for that area or taking a deep look into the purchases you need vs want.

You'll eventually find the method that works for you. Just keep trying.

[cheles2kids]

I never used envelops, just my debit card, but had a budget that I kept to regaurdless

This is how we do it too.

[Mochashello]

I don't do cash or envelopes. I have my budget list in excel and if I get gas, I come home and subtract the amount I spent from what I had listed as the budgeted amount. Toward the end of the pay period, if we are low on gas money, we don't fill up. I tell hubby "we only have $20 left for gas before Friday so if you can't go till then, don't put in more than $20". (or whatever). Works for us.

I also enjoy more flexibility. If something comes up- perhaps a sale at the grocery store that we want to take advantage of or something like that- I like to be able to juggle cash from other areas or at least from the next week's grocery money to accomodate that. So instead of limiting to $XX amount groceries per week, I can dip into the following week's budget as long as I know it means spending less next week and not going over the total budget for groceries for the month.

I do the same thing with every other category- if I get groceries or take the kids for a treat, I come home and subtract what I just spent from the figures on my budget list. It takes only a couple of minutes to open the file and make the adjustments. I dont' usually have more than a couple places I spent money so it isn't complicated at all.

The only time we use cash is for our "blow money" which we call our "spending money" for dh and I, or our "household discretionary" money which is what we allot for stuff for the kids like slurpees or a fast food treat, or a movie rental, etc. Usually dh takes out his spending money in cash, in which case I can just delete it from the budget list completely. I don't like to do that because I don't spend much of mine and if the cash is on me I tend to "give it away" by using it for things that are not for me personally, and then end up feeling like a martyr for it which isn't fair to anyone. So if I do go grab a starbucks or something, I treat it like the other things and come home and deduct the $4 from my personal spending category in the budget.

I've done our budget this way for years and have no interest in changing it. It's simple, quick, at-a-glance, and it works for us. =)

[mateosbaby]

Well, I feel better now. I think we'll do it my husband's way then. I wonder if Dave Ramsey actually uses the envelopes, or if that's just the way he wants us to start so we can learn? ;P I know, I'm a trouble-maker...

[Cricketlegs]

That's the trick. Taking his excellent advice which 100% works and making it work for you.

You have to do the work but with some effort and a new attitude towards the future you lose the carefree worry about tomorrow later and learn to easily do without to reap the benefits.

If a person has a plan and they are blowing it every month(I mean in GENERAL and NOT YOU personally)then they are not being responsible because the Dave Ramsay plan WORKS!