Tutter
Power Conserver
I know this is pretty basic, but what the heck, if it helps out even one person, it will have been worth posting. 
When I first got married, I got a stack of envelopes that we had ended up with, which had a company's name on them. New, but never going to be used for anything.
I sat and thought about what we did with our money, and began labeling each one. Here's a sample:
Rent
Phone Bill
Electricity
Food
Clothes
Christmas
Gas for Car
Then, when we brought in income, I carefully divided it up between the envelopes as needed. And I always put a little in the Christmas envelope, even if it was just $5.
What I didn't mention, was the blank envelope. One envelope said nothing on it, and when all the other envelopes were filled, I put a little something into it. Again, even if it was just $5.
I am very organized by nature, and I have a depression mentality, without having been there. No idea why, but this appealed to me enormously, and our needs were always met. If there was extra, we did fun things with it if we wished. I didn't list all of the envelopes, but believe me, if there was a use, there was an envelope for it! lol!
Well, one day my youngest bil, whom I adore anyway, called and was really despondant; which is unlike him. He was married with children, and had gotten a medical discharge from the military after being injured there. Now he was jobless, and had finally been offered a job, but it was a commute, and he had no car.
I'd never mentioned my blank envelope to anyone. I wasn't hiding it, I just felt really good growing a nest egg. And by then I had $200. in it. (This was some time ago, and it was more then than it seems now.)
I talked to dh about his brother, showed him the money, and we got a paper from L.A. at the time called the, Recycler. You could find anything in it, and we found a car, not 4 blocks from where dbil was living, for...you guessed it, $200!
Dh went and looked at it, bought it, then took his brother for a walk to it, without telling him. When they got to it he teased him a little by kicking the tires of "someone's car", then when dbil was looking worried, tossed him the keys.
He worked for that job until he retired, and it allowed his family to live well, buy a house etc. I never regretted giving up the money from the blank envelope.
And if there's a special need, like someone needing work boots, make an envelope for it.
I do basically the same thing still.
If you set aside the money you bring in for bills and so forth, before you spend a penny, then you will always be able to keep your affairs in order. What's left, do with as you wish. But when you begin to spend a little here and there....just one dinner out, just one good garage sale etc. before you count out your bill money, you can come up short, or at least tight.
Simple, and effective.
When I first got married, I got a stack of envelopes that we had ended up with, which had a company's name on them. New, but never going to be used for anything.
I sat and thought about what we did with our money, and began labeling each one. Here's a sample:
Rent
Phone Bill
Electricity
Food
Clothes
Christmas
Gas for Car
Then, when we brought in income, I carefully divided it up between the envelopes as needed. And I always put a little in the Christmas envelope, even if it was just $5.
What I didn't mention, was the blank envelope. One envelope said nothing on it, and when all the other envelopes were filled, I put a little something into it. Again, even if it was just $5.
I am very organized by nature, and I have a depression mentality, without having been there. No idea why, but this appealed to me enormously, and our needs were always met. If there was extra, we did fun things with it if we wished. I didn't list all of the envelopes, but believe me, if there was a use, there was an envelope for it! lol!
Well, one day my youngest bil, whom I adore anyway, called and was really despondant; which is unlike him. He was married with children, and had gotten a medical discharge from the military after being injured there. Now he was jobless, and had finally been offered a job, but it was a commute, and he had no car.
I'd never mentioned my blank envelope to anyone. I wasn't hiding it, I just felt really good growing a nest egg. And by then I had $200. in it. (This was some time ago, and it was more then than it seems now.)
I talked to dh about his brother, showed him the money, and we got a paper from L.A. at the time called the, Recycler. You could find anything in it, and we found a car, not 4 blocks from where dbil was living, for...you guessed it, $200!
Dh went and looked at it, bought it, then took his brother for a walk to it, without telling him. When they got to it he teased him a little by kicking the tires of "someone's car", then when dbil was looking worried, tossed him the keys.
He worked for that job until he retired, and it allowed his family to live well, buy a house etc. I never regretted giving up the money from the blank envelope.
And if there's a special need, like someone needing work boots, make an envelope for it.
I do basically the same thing still.
If you set aside the money you bring in for bills and so forth, before you spend a penny, then you will always be able to keep your affairs in order. What's left, do with as you wish. But when you begin to spend a little here and there....just one dinner out, just one good garage sale etc. before you count out your bill money, you can come up short, or at least tight.
Simple, and effective.
