Last year we were living off my teaching income so we had to get pretty budget savvy very quickly! After sitting down with my husband and deciding on a budget, I made these cute little budget envelopes that fit nicely into my wallet.
I went through my scrapbooking stash (which hasn't been used in a good 3 years oops) and picked out some nice paper then made some little labels in publisher. Next, I cut the paper to size (mine were 15.5cm x 16cm) and folded the paper in half so that the height was now about 7.5cm. I stuck the label on the front and ran my envelopes through my laminator. I then cut directly across the top (taking off a couple of mm of paper from the top) so that I could slip my money into the pockets. Make sure you leave a few mm of laminate around the other edges though or your money will slide out the sides.
I must say, hubby was a bit sceptical but the envelopes really worked! After paying the rent and bills, I would take out $100 for groceries, $50 for treats and $50 for school resources. Once that money was gone, I wasn't allowed to take any more out until he following week. This meant there were absolutely no impulse purchases with my card and I always knew how much I was spending! Any gold coins when straight into my coin pocket which usually went towards treats like soft drink from the vending machine at work or lunch when I was out and about. If I had any money leftover at the end of the week, I would take out less the following week which meant more saving - yay! I would definitely urge anybody on a budget to try something similar, it really made a huge difference to our spending!
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