Has anyone tried this? I'm trying to find a diy.. because the ones they sell on etsy are pretty pricy... 

Yes, I just used regular envelopes with the amount written on the outside and what it's for. 

ahh.. I was thinking I want a wallet of some sort, but they are $60-$70 on etsy for the good ones.. Holy cow! lol. 

You can go to the dollar store and get a coupon envelope that will work for you. 

Yeah, I wanted something out of fabric possibly. Just wondering if anyone has tried this. 

If you mean to help with budgeting...I did this in college and it worked well :-) i just used regular envelopes and labeled categories they were for. Example: car payment, car insurance, food, gas, entertainment, etc. I only allowed myself to use the set amount. I also had a savings account for emergencies only. 

I found a DIY on pinterest a while back... I didn't pin it though... But I know there's links to them there 

Yeahh :) I found a few on pinterest but... I suck at sewing! lol. I might just break down and buy the one on pinterest for $60-$70, it might be worth it :) 

If you want to message me a link i can see if i am able to possibly make something up for cheaper 

That would be awesome, I have found quite a few on etsy. I will message you 

Did you look up "Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom Envelopes?" He has a very popular budgeting plan, ive seen cute cloth envelopes people made under that tag line for less than $60 

Yeahh I've looked everywhere lol I wish I could make my own but I don't trust myself, I would probably mess it up and spend more than I would buying one l 

We did the 'breaking free' which is like the ramsey system, we have paid off almost $5000 in debt since september. You do have to be very disciplined though. My husband struggles with it but if you can do it it really works!!!! 

Awesome. Was the "breaking free" a class? Book? Or? 

Money saving tip #1-

don't spend 60-70$$ on an envelope type thing when you can get something for $1 at Target that will serve the same purpose.....

:) 

I have always just used my office envelopes for those type things, you probably already have them on hand if not, dollar tree! 

I can't wrap my head around the money envelope system.

All of my bills are paid online or over the phone. So I don't think it would really work for me. 

Yeah you get what you pay for... The ones at target sorta suck! Lol. I want a good one. But I'm thinking I will find someone that is good at sewing, and have them make it for me :)

Cs gray a lot of my bills are paid online or through checks like rent and other bills however... Things like groceries, entertainment, gas etc would be good to have a certain amount each month instead of my debit card that you can just swipe... You don't really realize what you're spending =\ 

So am I missing something?....People are actually paying $60+ to put money in an Envelope thats made by someone else?....Not trying to sound awful/rude...but WTF would you spend money on that when you could just label your own envelopes?


Someone please explain the whole thing to me lol 

lol, I pay bills, buy food, and put gas in the car... entertainment money? what's that? lol.

seriously though, once my bills are paid, and the food is bought, our debit cards get put in a book and forgotten until the next payday. 

LOL it was just an example ;) That is one of the "subjects" in one of those wallets that a lot of people use... That way you do have a little money to yourself, and do with what you please. 

Entertainment means movies, bowling, shopping...whatever it is you like to do. It is good to budget some money for that :-) the time you don't use it ...save it up to do something bigger (i.e. date night w/ o kids). I know it is hard and not all families have extra. It has been tough for us lately. We just PCS'd and I quit working due to that. I can't wait to start working again so we are able to save and have extra money again. 

We honestly don't do "entertainment". That's one of our ways of cutting costs. We don't go out to movies, we don't go out and pay for activities. We don't rent movies. We don't go shopping. We pay ten bucks a month for Netflix. I know it seems dull, and yes I do go stir crazy, but you gotta do what you gotta do, ya know. We also only eat out like once a month. There's countless other ways I cut corners, like not driving unless I have to, 

Yes Heather, the breaking free is a book/dvd thing.. You can do either or. I also pay most of my bills online. I also have my mortgage deducted automatically. The only difference is once only the bills are paid, we do not use the cards anymore. We use plain envelopes and each pay day I put $ in them. We have the gas envelope, the 'show'(haircuts n clothes), the car(gas n oil changes), the collectibles(husbands!) and the 'blow'(weekend fun). If there is no $ in the show envelope because we decided to buy crap, then it will have to be a home trim instead of a trip to barber shop. The gas envelope fluctuates because sometimes we use more than others, but the fun one is where we have to stay within our means and that's the one that helped us most. If we wanna go to the shoppette for whatever or a quick BK trip, it comes out of there. You are much more mindful of the thoughtless little trips that really add up in no time but don't realize when you swipe. The first time we paid w/ cash as Applebees it was so different to see the cash actually leave your hands and see how little you have left for fun, much more eye opening than swiping a card. I would highly recommend doing this. 

Good point sanda!! Did you get any sort of book to help you? This is why I want one of those wallets, it seems like it would be worth the money! Lol 

NO! I use the cheap plain envelopes, and they are hidden. I just write on the outside what it's for. There is no need for fancy wallets, you should NOT carry your envelopes ever because you will be tempted to use it whenever or 'borrow' from one envelope to another. It's the whole point to save. You will plan to spend your money and less likely to mindlessly blow it. 

I used to carry the grocery envelope(i forgot to name that one) and I used it for other stuff sometimes and it defeated the purpose. 

I still want a fancy wallet lol I might have someone make one for me though :) 

http://shemakescents.com/2012/03/11/the-envelope-system-saves/

I think this could be a great way (and cheap way!) to start! 

Yeah I found that on interest too. I was really looking for a wallet. But maybe this will work until then lol I could probably find a small binder that would fit into my purse I'm sure.