• About Me
  • Disclosure
  • Shop

Making Cents Matter

  • Home
  • Resource Library
  • Budget
    • Budgeting Tips
    • Budget Categories
    • Our Monthly Budget
    • Meal Planning
    • Free Printables
  • Debt Free
    • Debt Free Tips
    • Our Debt Free Journey
    • Free Printables
  • Saving
    • Ways We Save
    • DIY
    • Free Printables
  • Recipes
    • Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch
      • Dinners
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Soups
    • Meal Planning
    • Preserving Food
  • Garden
    • Gardening Tips
    • Preserving Food
  • Shop

April 5, 2019 · 2 Comments

How To Make Cash Envelopes

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
Click here to read my disclosure policy.

Budget· Budget Tips· DIY· Frugal Living· Saving· Ways We Save

10.3Kshares
  • 10.3K

The biggest game changer for our budget was when we started using sinking funds.  I cannot deny that.  But if we already had sinking funds in place, switching from using our debit card to using cash would have been the biggest game changer.

Today I’m going to show you how I made our cash envelopes from scrapbook paper.  It was really easy to do, and the pretty designs help to keep your categories separated a breeze.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Let me start by saying yes, I know that mailing envelopes are perfectly fine for using as cash envelopes.  I use mailing envelopes to hold our house payment in before I drop it off at the bank for the sole purpose of it not getting all goobered in my bottomless purse.

I’m also the crafty type that needs something pretty & functional so I will keep using it.  It’s why I keep using my budget planner.  The more appealing it is to my brain, the more I’ll come back to it!

If you’re the type that loves pretty and functional envelopes but doesn’t want to make your own, you can check out my printable cash envelopes here.

But the sad fact is that I go through mailing envelopes pretty often, and I don’t send out a whole lot of mail.  It honestly doesn’t take long before something gets goobered in my purse.  After looking for and testing out various alternatives, I decided to make my own cash envelopes that could fit in my wallet out of supplies I already had on hand.

Bonus points since I didn’t need to buy anything extra!

What I’ve noticed over the last few months of using them is that because they were laminated, they were outlasting the envelopes that only saw my house check once a month.  Some of my cash envelopes have survived months of daily use, simply because they were laminated.

Here’s how you can make your own cash envelopes.

You’ll need:

How To Make Cash Envelopes

  • Laminator*
  • Laminating Sheets*
  • Scrapbook Paper
  • Paper Trimmer*
  • dollar bill as a template
  • Bone Folder*
  • Pen or Sharpie

Start by warming up your laminator.  While it warms up, select the sheets of paper you’ll want to use.  I used 12″x 12″ scrapbook paper from Michaels, and was able to get two envelopes out of one sheet.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Using your paper trimmer, cut your scrapbook paper to be 6.5″ x 6″.  You could make your envelopes to be 7″ x 6″ to give a little more wiggle room around the cash, but I didn’t because 7″ didn’t fit in my wallet.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Fold your sheet on half along the 6″ edge, and run the bone folder along that fold to give a nice crisp edge.  Your folded sheet should now measure 6.5″ x 3″.

Using a pen or a Sharpie, label your envelopes.  I labelled them on the inside after I tested the Sharpie on a piece of scrap paper to make sure they wouldn’t bleed through.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Place your envelopes on a laminating sheet; I can get three per sheet without overcrowding them, but also without wasting any of the sheet.  I like to line them up so the opening is facing the outside of the sheet.  You could do it so they’re all facing the inside, but either way you do it, you want to make sure you know exactly which way the fold is facing, and which way the opening is facing.

Then run them through the laminator.  I prefer to run them through twice just for that extra hold.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Cut the envelopes out, giving a decent gap between the air bubble left in the lamination, and the lamination.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

How To Make Cash Envelopes

On the side that is your opening, cut right up to the edge of the paper so it will open.

At this point, you could sent the envelopes back through the laminator one more time for good measure, but you don’t have to.  If your envelopes happen to separate, you can also send them through.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

All that’s left to do is to stuff your envelopes with your cash!

How To Make Cash Envelopes

For more on how we started using the cash envelope system, check out this post on our 30 day experiment with cash, and be sure to check out my YouTube Channel where I update how our envelopes are going for the month during my weekly budget setups.

How To Make Cash Envelopes

Related Posts

  • Summer 2016 BudgetSummer 2016 Budget
  • Apple Peel JellyApple Peel Jelly
  • Homemade Macaroni and CheeseHomemade Macaroni and Cheese
  • How To Use A Budget CalendarHow To Use A Budget Calendar
  • October & November 2017 Debt UpdateOctober & November 2017 Debt Update
  • Debt Payment TrackerDebt Payment Tracker
10.3Kshares
  • 10.3K
Previous Post: « How To Make Homemade Pizza Dough
Next Post: Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup »

Reader Interactions

Want access to our resource library? Sign up for our free email list!

* indicates required

Comments

  1. Diane taber says

    March 10, 2020 at 7:39 am

    Hi I want to learn how you can make your own cash envelopes. And start budgeting .and want to know what you would need to make them.

    Reply
  2. Charity says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    This is such a great DIY way to make your own cash envelopes! Great article!
    Charity recently posted…18 Budgeting Tips For BeginnersMy Profile

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Post Categories





makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
.⁠
Do what looks right for you and your personal finances.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#budget #budgeting #savingmoney #savings #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
.⁠
We always try to go with themed days, but some weeks are so hectic the theme is literally "fast". Thankfully that hasn't been the case lately.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#mealplanning #mealplan #budget #budgeting #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#makingcentsmatter #budgets #monthlyincome #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
.⁠
House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $600⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
.⁠
Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
.⁠
Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom⁠
The battle for who can charge what tonight is abou The battle for who can charge what tonight is about to begin. 😬⁠
.⁠
My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
.⁠
Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#parentingteens #parentingtweens #momlife #realife #budget #budgeting #savingmoney #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter
A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
.⁠
To the mother with little kids struggling to get your finances in order, it will get better. I wish I could have heard those words years ago.⁠
.⁠
Nearly 10 years ago we were facing a $1,400 out-of-pocket portion for A's Phase 1 orthodontic work (I looked it up after I uploaded the video... we had a $1,400 portion).⁠
.⁠
It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
.⁠
I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
.⁠
What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
.⁠
Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
.⁠
Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#wisdomteeth #personalfiannce #personalfinancetips #financialgoals #budgeting #budgets #savingsgoals #savings #cashbudget #zerobasedbudget #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #adulting #lifehappens #realife #realbudget #makingcentsmatter
It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
.⁠
Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
.⁠
Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
.⁠
Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
.⁠
How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#realbudget #monthlyincome #monthlybudget #budget #budgetupdate #budgeting #savingmoney #variablecategories #savingmoney #savings #debtfreecommunity #debtfreejourney #cash #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #frugalliving #frugalblogger #budgetblogger #makingcentsmatter
Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
.⁠
What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
.⁠
Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#personalfinance #personalfinancetips #budgeting #budgettips #personalfinancemadeeasy #savingmoney #savings #sinkingfunds #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogess #financialfreedom #makingcentsmatter
Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
.⁠
I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
.⁠
Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
Load More... Follow on Instagram


Copyright

I love it when you share our content! Please keep in mind that all content, images and text on this site are property of Making Cents Matter. Feel free to use no more than two photos on your own site, provided that a link back to my original post is included. Do not crop, edit, or remove any watermarks from any of my images without obtaining written permission from me first. Thank you!

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

MakingCentsMatter is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites.

You can read more about our privacy policy and disclosures here.

Copyright © 2023 · Captivating Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in