Warning: I thought my $300 a month food budget was impossible until I tried the envelope system last month in Austin.

3 comments

3 Comments

Actually found the envelope system made things harder for me. It felt like a game of catch up when something unexpected came up. Having to move cash around just added more stress to grocery shopping. Maybe it works for some people, but a simple budget on my phone works way better. Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

wyatt521mo ago

My sister tried the envelope thing for her family of four in San Antonio. She had the same problem, always scrambling when her kid needed a last minute poster board for school or the milk went bad. Watching her dig through different envelopes at the kitchen table was just sad. It turned a simple trip to HEB into a whole stressful math project.

christopher_sullivan1mo ago

Ever have that happen? I used to keep a small buffer in the grocery budget for just those surprises @wyatt52 mentioned. It stopped the envelope shuffle and cut the stress way down.