My grandpa's envelope system seemed ancient but I owe him $2,300

Tbh I always thought my grandpa was stuck in the past with his cash envelope method. He told me last year to pull out my grocery money for the week and put it in a literal envelope. I laughed at him and said I had an app for that. Fast forward to last week and I realized I had spent $400 on random takeout because I just tapped my card without thinking. I finally tried his envelope system for one month and I saved exactly $230 on eating out alone. Now I feel like a fool for ignoring him for so long. Has anyone else had a boomer relative give shockingly good financial advice that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadejenkins3d ago

Hear me out, but I think the envelope system can actually teach bad spending habits if you rely on it too much. The real problem isn't the method, its learning to track your expenses and think before you buy with any payment type. You saved money this month because you were paying attention, not because of the envelopes themselves.

kimdixon3d ago

Wait, you're saying the envelopes DON'T actually help? @wadejenkins you just blew my mind...