diy cash envelopes system... the pretty way!

All of my friends know that Dave Ramsey is one of my heroes. Well, if they didn't know, they know now. :) I am a huge promoter of his books and methods on finance management. Why? Because they work. I have friends who have used his methods and have gotten completely out of debt. And are now reaping the benefits of debt-free living. I also have friends who have used his methods to do crazy things like buy vehicles over $10,000 completely in cash, and thus receiving a crazy good deal. It works, it really does. You can learn more about Dave Ramsey and purchase some materials from his website: http://www.daveramsey.com

I'm still plugging away going back and forth between steps 1 and 2... but not giving up! I'll get there. It is what drives me to pick up shifts at work that I would otherwise not take, or take small jobs that I would rather sleep through.

Anyway, I love the cash-only system. I am a complete DIY-er, if I can do things myself the cheap and easy way, I will. I love saving money, and what better place to save money than to make one's own envelopes budgeting system??

I was tired of the system I was using, a file system I made out of recipe cards and stuck in my wallet. They were starting to fall apart, and it was difficult to look immediately and see which sections had money and which didn't... because when there was money in one, it looked like it could be in one of three different sections.

I was inspired to make my own pretty envelopes system by this website: http://kelleighratzlaff.com/featured/free-envelope-template-and-a-tutorial/

I loved the look of her envelopes, but I knew that in my own practical use, they would fall apart within weeks. I wanted something that looked similar but would hold up to my "workhorse" ways. I decided to use regular envelopes and cover them with pretty paper, held together with giftwrap tape (since I had a ton left over from Christmas!) that would be a bit more durable than just one layer of paper.

Here is how I did it!

First, I cut the tops off all of the envelopes and made them shorter so that they would fit in my wallet:

Next, I picked out 10 different papers that I had in my scrapbook paper collection. I picked out 10 because I had 10 different sections in my budget system. I found the 8x8 papers worked awesome, and found 10 that matched from a book set. I also found tabs from a different set that matched these, so I used those for labels. I cut the papers so they matched the width of my envelopes (I used number 6 3/4 security envelopes... the ones that aren't legal size long):

Next, I lined the paper up with the top of each envelope, then on the back of the paper I marked a fold line. I folded it so it would go around the bottom of the envelope and up the top:

The excess paper on top I folded down to make an envelope flap:

Next, I taped all the edges with giftwrap tape (giftwrap tape is pretty sturdy and "disappears" on printed papers). I even taped the inside edges to the envelope, so there were no openings except for the inside of the envelope, and money couldn't get stuck between the paper and the envelope. That was kinda hard... Then I finished it off with the label:

I did the same with all 10 of my envelopes, and now they are pretty and fit nicely in my wallet! Also, if I am just running into the gas station, I don't need to take my whole wallet, I can just take the "fuel" envelope. :)

Happy budgeting!!