An Experiment in Budget Control, Part 3

The week of my experiment has come to an end, and I wanted to let you all know how it went. Even though my husband and I were a bit scared of what it would be like to live on such a restricted cash budget for the week, I am happy to say that it went really well. The exercise of filling out the worksheet is something that everyone should do, regardless of where you are financially. It is an eye opener as to where your money is going, and this is knowledge that everyone should have.

The cash jars were an amazing tool! It really helps you think about what you are spending your money on and helps to prevent you from making unnecessary impulse purchases. I would never bring any cash out with me unless I knew I was stopping somewhere to pick up something that we needed, so I was unable to pick up things on the go. I still had my debit and credit cards on me, but I didn’t use them once this week. I am happy to report that of the $237.50 that we started with in the jars at the beginning of the week, we are still left with $70.89 in the jars. That is amazing! It just goes to show that it really can be done. Hubby’s birthday is coming up next week, so it is nice to know that we will have some extra cash left over for a gift and dinner.

             

We are going to continue using the jars and limiting our spending because we really like the fact that this method is helping us save our money. We really want to go on a family vacation next year, and I have no doubt in my mind that if we keep this up, we will have no problems in affording the vacation. We may have to bend the rules a little during Birthday because spending always goes up at that time of year, but I am going to be very conscious of what I am spending on gifts and try to keep it to a minimum. Besides, Birthday is a little more than just presents, right?

So, go ahead, join the challenge and try living on the cash jar budget for a week. I would love to hear from anyone else that has tried this or that will try it. Please share your story with me and let me know if it was a positive experience for you.