Serious question, saw a guy at the Piggly Wiggly in Mobile pay with a paper envelope of cash
Honestly I was just grabbing milk and eggs last Tuesday when the guy in front of me pulls out this worn envelope stuffed with ones and fives, and he counts out $63.47 for his groceries while the cashier waits. Ngl I stood there watching because I've been trying to get my own spending under control after racking up $1,400 on my card in March alone. He told me he does the envelope thing every two weeks, pulls out his grocery money in cash, and when it's gone, it's gone. I asked if it actually works and he laughed and said he hasn't gone over his food budget in 8 months because swiping a card never feels like real money to him. That hit me kinda hard because I do the same thing, tap and go, then wonder where my paycheck went. Tbh I tried a budget app for 3 months and quit both times, so maybe boring old cash is the move. Has anyone else switched to envelopes for groceries and actually stuck with it? How do you handle it when you run out before the next payday?
Man, cash hits different when it leaves your hand. I tried the envelope thing for gas and eating out last year and made it almost 5 months, which is a record for me. The trick is you gotta pull the money out on payday and leave the card at home, otherwise you cheat. When I ran out early I just ate whatever was in the pantry, which was sad but it worked.