I use a Premium Cash Envelope System Wallet.
On the inside left, I keep my driver's license, debit card, store cards (such as Costco, Office Depot, JoAnn's), insurance cards, library card, etc. Each slot can hold up to four cards, depending on their thickness. (More if they're cardstock weight rather than plastic.)
There's a pocket behind the slots that runs the full length of the wallet. I tuck receipts in there when I'm out and about.
Each envelope is labeled with one of the five budget categories I'm most likely to need to access when I'm away from the house. The rest are kept in a Cash Stash Wallet at home and are removed when needed. (For example, if we're heading to get haircuts, I just grab the "hair" divider & cash and place them in the back of the et cetera envelope.) Another option is to place a single divider inside every envelope and then label each side with a separate budget category.
The zippered compartment contains change (I tend to carry very little), paper clips, and a few bobby pins. I tuck my checkbook in the pocket on the inside right, and sometimes I have a small notepad in there as well.
Inside the full-length pocket that runs along the back, I keep paint chips from the rooms in our house and a two-pocket card holder for my business cards.
A full-feature cash envelope system wallet can get quite bulky since you're keeping everything you need in there. One advantage of laminated cotton is that because it's made of two layers, it's essentially "lined." So a wallet made from it tends to be more lightweight and not as thick as those made from other fabrics. And being able to wipe it off? Priceless.
Inside my purse alongside my main wallet, I have a Cash Stash Wallet that holds store coupons, punch cards, and gift cards. Not manufacturer coupons, but coupons such as the ones I get in an ad from JoAnn's or Michaels or store-specific coupons that I often have from Fred Meyer, Target, Old Navy, etc. Coffee and thrift store punch cards also go in here. I used to keep these all together in one spot, and this change has proven to be way more effective for keeping track of them!
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| My categories: crafts, thrift stores, clothing, coffee & restaurants, Fred Meyer, Target & Shopko, other |
I hope these descriptions and visuals have helped you to get a better picture of a cash envelope system in action. While this is the best fit for me, there are others who want loose envelopes so that they're not carrying all of their cash at once, so they prefer a Zip-it, Band-it, or Pocket System. And many like to keep it simple with a Cash Stash Wallet, especially when they're first starting out and aren't yet sure what's going to work best for them. This is a very wise and frugal choice, and is what I recommend when asked by someone who is new to the cash system of budgeting.
I will leave you with links to a few others who have blogged about their wallets. (This was on their own, by the way, not by my request. :) If you have any questions at all, I would love for you to leave them in the comments section. In a few days, I will answer them in a new post.
{premium cash envelope system wallet}
{cash stash wallet}
Ordnungsliebe (in German!)
