Choosing your envelopes
In shortA starter list, how much to put in each, and which ones fill up or add up.
Start with five. Every extra envelope is one more number to guess. Too many is a common reason people give up.
A starter list
- Groceries
- Food and the supermarket
- Transport
- Petrol, fares, parking
- Eating out
- Coffee, lunches, takeaway
- Fun money
- Anything you enjoy
- Buffer
- Small surprises
Rent and bills can share one bills envelope of their own.
To set each amount, look at your last 3 months of bank statements. Add up each kind of spending, then divide by the paydays in that time.
There are two kinds. Fill it up to is for spending: payday tops it back up to its amount. Add to it is for saving up: it keeps what it has and grows each payday.
Run it for 2 paydays. Then split the envelope that keeps running out, or merge two you never think about.
In Stuffed, tap New envelope on the Budget tab.
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Want the long version? Read Envelope budget categories.