Envelope Budget
From McDonald's to Sonic, fast food had a bad effect on my waistline and my budget. It was nothing to run to a drive-through to pick up a cold drink or a quick bite to eat. It was so easy to use my card for a small purchase. For me, I got a lot of satisfaction from fast food.
One day I sat down and calculated that I was consuming a surprising $40 a week on fast food. This was a lot of iced coffee, hamburgers and junk food like that! Instead of reducing my guilty pleasures, I decided to give myself a strong budget to reduce my consumption. Every Monday I placed an envelope with $20 in my purse. That was my fast food budget for the entire week. If there was anything left over at the end of the week, it was up to me to save or spend the money. If I spent all of the money during the week, there were no more fast food stops that week.
The budget made me more mindful of my purchases. Instead of purchasing a large drink from Sonic, I would purchase a small one. It was still satisfying but not nearly pricey. Instead of eating a whole meal, I would pick the part that I actually wanted. Many days, the thought of hanging on to the money for a special purpose meant more to me than the instant satisfaction of fast food. I never really felt unhappy because it was a conscious choice to spend or save money on each purchase.
Envelope budget kept me honest. I had a clear idea of how much money I spent on fast food purchases each week. I started to bring my lunches more often to save more money for the week. It was a fun challenge to see how much I could save every week.
Changing the way I spent on fast food not only helped my budget, but improved my weight. In the first month I was able to get rid of 5 pounds by simply changing the way I spent on fast food. Now I am more likely to bring my lunch than to buy it. I am not upset, but empowered to make positive choices to improve my life.
