Rant: My grocery bill was killing me until I tried the 'cash envelope' trick

Spent over $800 a month on food for just me. Felt out of control. Saw a video about using physical cash for categories. Put $150 in an envelope marked 'groceries' for two weeks. Had to make it work. Stuck to a list and bought store brands. Finished the period with $12 left. Has anyone else tried this with a different spending category, like gas or eating out?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithpatel18d ago

Ever see someone try this with something totally ridiculous? My buddy got so fed up with his online hobby spending he put his "fun money" for the month in an envelope labeled "digital dragons." He said it was painful watching the actual cash disappear for virtual armor, and he cut that spending in half without even trying that hard. The physical part really messes with your brain.

mila_murphy18d ago

That story from @faithpatel about the "digital dragons" envelope is perfect. It reminds me of when my sister used the same trick for her coffee habit, but she took it way too far. She made a whole separate envelope just for oat milk upgrades at the cafe, which was kind of nuts, but she said seeing the five dollar bills vanish for foam art made her start brewing at home.

patel.morgan18d ago

Yeah the oat milk envelope thing is so real... my friend did that with avocado toast and it was wild to watch her actually hesitate before ordering. Totally get what @mila_murphy is saying about the physical cash messing with your head.