Friday, January 21, 2011

Making Cash Envelopes Work Practically {Vlog!}

Last week we talked about starting a budget from scratch, and I left you hanging about how we make cash envelopes work for us (namely, how we make them work for my anti-bulky-wallet husband!). I tried taking pictures of his envelopes, but they didn't turn out well, so I decided to vlog about them instead! I hope you enjoy:

Don't I have the best sidekick? ;) If you are having trouble viewing the video, try the link here. If you are reading from a reader, you may have to click over to view.

Here is a picture of the index card I take to the bank. You only have to fill out the "Amount Needed" and "Total Withdrawal" part once (unless you are tweeking your budget), then you can just save the card and use it each time you make your monthly withdrawal.


One last thing I wanted to mention. When we evaluate how we did with our budget at the end of the month, I use this simple monthly summary sheet. It shows all of our expenses, along with our spending goals, and how much we spent come the end of the month. You can download this sheet and customize it for your family if you like! Download it as a Word Document, and then you can type in your personal expenses/spending goals. We print this sheet out monthly, and I fill it out before our monthly "budget meeting."

Tell me what you think of the vlog! :D And have a lovely weekend...



Linked to Frugal Friday and Finer Things Friday.
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17 comments:

  1. What about the coins then? (I love your co-host, but makes me look more at him than pay attention to your story, sorry he is too cute!)
    Love Amelie

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  2. I love anything budget related :) Cute co-host!! I'm looking forwards to using the DR Envelope System soon!

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  3. Amelie, I have a separate (thin) pouch that I keep in my purse that has a place for coins and also my driver's license/store loyalty cards, etc. :)

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  4. Super cute helper! My husband has the same complaint about the envelope system being too bulky. But I bet he'd go for your system - seems like it'd be a lot easier for him.

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  5. This is a great video! It's nice to actually see the Envelope System in use rather than to read about people using it.

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  6. I love the idea of the index card!! I just get whatever they give me when I ask for the total withdrawl amount and then have a hard time allocating all the funds to the envelopes. Loved to see your little cutie too! Have a great weekend! :-)

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  7. Great to see how to make the envelope system more usable for dh. I did have to watch the video twice though because once your cute co-host appeared I forgot to pay attention to you :)

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  8. Glad you found something that works for him. Squishy is too cute!

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  9. Haha, too funny! I guess I'll have to leave Squishy OUT of the video if I really want ya'lls attention. ;)

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  10. Love the vlog Alicia! Squishy is adorable!

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  11. Very clever way to keep a less bulky cash budget! I have a big wallet that works with envelopes for me but isn't so compact. :)

    I gave you an award on my blog today as one of my favorite new-to-me blogs. Pick it up or not, your choice. :)

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  12. Very nice Alicia! And yes, you have a great sidekick!

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  13. Love your vlog! Wonderful job (and squishy is way too cute!). I made my own envelopes to add into my wallet.

    http://familystampingfood.blogspot.com/2010/01/scrappin-sunday-not-just-ordinary.html

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  14. What a great resource! I used to do this before I was married when I was on a really tight budget. I think we may head back to that system here soon. Thanks for the awesome post.

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  15. Love this! Practical, easy, so resourceful!

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  16. What a great solution, Alicia. So simple, yet so smart!

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  17. We use cash envelopes in conjuntion with another technique. To budget, I took a sheet of paper and folded it into quarters. The paper is now the month's budget and each quarter/quadrant of the paper is a week of the month.I then called all the people I pay each month(telephone, mortgage, etc) and changed the due dates so they are spread evenly.Since I pretty much pay the same each month, I broke it down each week. Odd, quarterly payments I must make (i.e. car insurance) are then put on the month's page as appropriate. I love this system because if I have an unforeseen expense (my neighbor is claiming part of my property as his own, and I suddenly need to find $1000 to pay a surveyor) I can look at the monthly expenses and jot down what needs to be trimmed for the next few months. I check off bills as I pay them. I make up a few months worth of sheets on one of those days when I am feeling extra brainy.I then can rest easy knowing what I owe and when is already mapped out.

    Debbie5, SAHM, embracing her inner June Cleaver

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