How to Budget Using The Envelope System - NerdWallet (2024)
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Key takeaways:
With the envelope system, you allocate your take-home pay toward specific categories by placing cash in labeled envelopes.
On TikTok, it's known as "cash stuffing."
You can apply a digital approach to the envelope system with the help of apps and spreadsheets.
This system allows you to closely track all of your money; a downside is that it takes a significant amount of effort.
What is ‘cash stuffing’?
The envelope system — also known on TikTok as "cash stuffing" — is a budgeting method that allows you to physically portion out your monthly income into different spending categories.
This money management system has been around for years, but cash stuffing or the envelope budgeting method has taken on new life from high-profile exposure on TikTok.
The concept is simple: Take a few envelopes, write a specific expense category on each one — like groceries, rent or student loans — and then put the money you plan to spend on those things into the envelopes.
Traditionally, people have used the envelope system on a monthly basis, using actual cash and envelopes. More recently, people have adopted digital methods, including spreadsheets and apps like Goodbudget and Mvelopes.
Before you build a budget
NerdWallet breaks down your spending and shows you ways to save.
Cash stuffing doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require some organization and planning on your part. The three steps below outline how you can begin your budgeting journey, if this is the right method for you.
1. Start with a budget
A solid budget can make the cash stuffing method smoother by ensuring you have enough money to cover your expenses. Consider using the 50/30/20 budget, where you put 50% of your after-tax income toward needs like rent and groceries, roughly 30% toward wants like travel and eating out, and at least 20% toward savings and debt repayment.
Say you take home $3,500 a month. This is what your budget might look like:
$700 in your envelopes for savings and debt repayment.
Keep in mind that this is just one budgeting strategy and you can divvy up your money as you see fit.
2. Create your envelope categories
Think about the types of expenses you have and sort them into categories. You get to decide how broad or specific to be here. You can have a general “going out” envelope, for example, or you can have a “movies” envelope, a “restaurants” envelope and a “drinks” envelope.
Next, label an envelope for each category and fill it with the amount of cash you’ve allotted for that expense. That's the "cash stuffing" part of the process.
3. Limit spending to the envelopes
When you pay for something, use money only from the corresponding envelope. For example, if you set aside $50 in an envelope marked “coffee,” and you buy a $5 latte at Starbucks, you’ll take the money from the envelope. That leaves you with $45 left to spend on coffee for the month.
You can refill your envelopes once a month or after you get your paycheck.
The pros
The cash stuffing envelope system also helps avoid the overdraft fees and debt that can come with frequent debit and credit card swiping. Physically dividing up your money also makes you aware of exactly how much you have available to spend on a given item, which helps curb overspending on impulse purchases.
“What either makes or breaks a budget is the variable expenses. It’s the going out with friends here and there. ... It’s all these little things that add up,” says Carlos Moreno, a financial specialist and coordinator of the Mobility Mentoring Center at Economic Mobility Pathways, a Boston nonprofit that serves low-income families. “That’s where the envelope system is so effective. It shows you right then and there how much money is going into specific categories.”
Cash-only users are more likely to feel an emotional connection to their money, too. Because cash is visible, touchable and instantly parts with you, it’s easier to be aware of how much you’re spending — and you’re likely to spend less than you would with a credit card, according to several studies.
The cons
Making regular trips to the bank or ATM to withdraw money can be time-consuming and leave you vulnerable. Carrying large sums of cash puts you at risk of loss or theft. You’ll also miss out on the protection and rewards that credit cards can offer.
Protect your savings allotment by putting it into a savings account, preferably one that pays a good interest rate, rather than keeping it in an envelope where it could be easily lost or stolen.
» MORE: How to choose the right budget system
Who benefits from the cash stuffing envelope system
The envelope system can help new budgeters and impulsive spenders. It lets you set goals and gauge how much you spend and save. We recommend this method to people who want to take charge of their finances in a hands-on way.
Want a free budget worksheet?
Use the Nerds’ 50/30/20 budget worksheet to see how your budget stacks up, and spot opportunities to save money.
The concept is simple: Take a few envelopes, write a specific expense category on each one — like groceries, rent or student loans — and then put the money you plan to spend on those things into the envelopes. Traditionally, people have used the envelope system on a monthly basis, using actual cash and envelopes.
It really was made famous (and a lot more popular) by finance guru and radio talk show host Dave Ramsey. All you need to get started are some ordinary envelopes, either store bought or homemade. Oh, you also need to mix in some financial discipline. You'll definitely need that.
You may also feel unsafe carrying cash, as it's harder to track it when it's lost or stolen. It can be cumbersome to get started: Getting all the envelopes ready and allocating money into categories can take some time to set it all up, especially if you haven't created a budget before.
These days, going to the bank is much more convenient to do online than in person. Cash envelope budgeting only works when you have physical cash in hand, which means you'll be going to a physical bank more. As a result, this errand takes time out of your day, especially if you want an exact amount with smaller bills.
The envelope budgeting method is a budgeting system that was popularized by personal finance author Dave Ramsey. The method involves dividing your take-home pay into spending categories (e.g., rent, utilities, et cetera), labeling an envelope for each category, and putting the cash you plan to spend into the envelopes.
The pros. The cash stuffing envelope system also helps avoid the overdraft fees and debt that can come with frequent debit and credit card swiping. Physically dividing up your money also makes you aware of exactly how much you have available to spend on a given item, which helps curb overspending on impulse purchases.
Cash stuffing, like other budgeting methods, is a way to plan out your spending and keep track of expenses. While it can be helpful for curbing overspending and limiting credit card debt, the downside of budgeting with cash is that you're missing out on the protection and yields offered by bank accounts.
After completing the 100 envelope challenge, you'll have saved $5,050. Each envelope will have a certain amount of cash, from 1 to 100. When you add all the envelopes together — $100 + $99 + 98 + $97, and so on, all the way down to $1 — the total amount comes out to $5,050.
If you're looking for a ballpark figure, Taylor Kovar, certified financial planner and CEO of Kovar Wealth Management says, “By age 30, a good rule of thumb is to aim to have saved the equivalent of your annual salary. Let's say you're earning $50,000 a year. By 30, it would be beneficial to have $50,000 saved.
Consider an individual who takes home $5,000 a month. Applying the 50/30/20 rule would give them a monthly budget of: 50% for mandatory expenses = $2,500. 20% to savings and debt repayment = $1,000.
However, the key difference is it moves 10% from the "savings" bucket to the "needs" bucket. "People may be unable to use the 50/30/20 budget right now because their needs are more than 50% of their income," Kendall Meade, a certified financial planner at SoFi, said in an email.
Cash stuffing involves taking your spending money, converting it to cash and stuffing it into envelopes marked with spending categories like rent, bills, groceries and gas. You determine how much money you want to spend in each category on a weekly or monthly basis.
Cash stuffing involves putting money in envelopes earmarked for various spending categories — like rent, groceries, entertainment and gas. Once you use up all the money in a given envelope, you aren't allowed to spend any more in that category until the following month.
The 100-envelope challenge is pretty straightforward: You take 100 envelopes, number each of them and then save the corresponding dollar amount in each envelope. For instance, you put $1 in “Envelope 1,” $2 in “Envelope 2,” and so on. By the end of 100 days, you'll have saved $5,050.
One of the most common types of percentage-based budgets is the 50/30/20 rule. The idea is to divide your income into three categories, spending 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings.
Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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