A month in four envelopes
The oldest budget system I know. You need four envelopes, a pen and no spreadsheet.
Zholdosh A. · 24 Apr 2022 · Issue 92 min read
My grandmother never heard of a budget. In the first week of the month she put the money in four envelopes: "Food", "House" (bills, repairs, the neighbour's wedding), "Children", "God and guests". The last one is not a joke. It is where the unexpected goes: a funeral, a visit, a gift.
When an envelope is empty, it is empty. You do not borrow from another before the end of the month. If the "Food" envelope runs out on the 22nd, the family eats rice and beans for a week, and next month the envelope is bigger. It is cruel and it works.
Try it for one month. If your bank sends the salary to a card, withdraw the amounts and use paper. There is something about a thin envelope that no app can copy.
1 Comment
My mother did the same! She had a fifth envelope, "The husband". It was always the smallest.
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