The envelope game

In the past 11 months Big Boy and I have been trying to figure out the best way to make & stick to a budget, we have gone through a few different methods all which have failed miserably!
Our income should more then cover our bills, expense's and SHOULD still have money to spend and save..... We have yet to work this out!
So a few weeks ago Big Boy came up with the brilliant idea of just handing me all of the money and letting me manage EVERYTHING aside from the bills (which are pre-deposited in their own account.)

I was told years ago by an old work colleague about a money management system where he designated envelopes for every piece of the budget, put the cash in them and that's how he stuck to his budget. ( simple enough, almost stone age like with all the high tech systems out there) So i gave it a shot, thinking if it worked for 20 years for this guy why not!

I have started using this system, and up until this week it has been working very well, nice and smooth!
That said... this week i hit my first hiccup with this system, A-Bunny's birthday party is in a few weeks, and there are a few decorations and supplies that i need to order on the Internet.... Thus my issue, i now have to make a special trip to the bank, to re-deposit the cash that big boy took out already, wait for it to post so i can use my debit card.... it sounds simple enough, but to me its a huge pain in the butt! ( guess thats what happens when you use an old school system in the internet age!)


Other than the inconvenience of juggling the money and extra trips to the bank for those Internet purchases, this system has been quite successful! The only other mini issue i have had is getting gas, if i have A-Bunny with me its a pain to take her out of her seat to go inside for 2 min. to pay cash for the gas! No other issues yet ( stay tuned this may change its only been 3 weeks )

It is best for my grocery budget mainly! I simply take my grocery envelope and I only have that money to spend, there is no  "Ive got plenty of money in the account" to bust my budgeting success!
This system for groceries alone is great! I have now become a "smart" shopper, clipping more coupons, scanning  grocery store sale fliers, and sticking to my list that i map out before i leave.

Its working great all around for me, but if you don't like the idea of having 10 envelopes ( which i do have) then i would suggest you try just for groceries!

So if your looking for a way to try and stick to your budget, this would be my recommendation, its not high tech by any means, but it is working for me!