Accountability- When You Least Expect It!

I was at a happy hour on Friday and it was time to pay the bill. I pulled out my check-card and my best friend says "Where are your envelopes?". Uhhhhhh. Truth be told, I have not gotten paid from my part-time job for the hours worked last week. This money gets divied up and goes into my envelopes so I can pay strictly with cash for gas, food, and entertainment. No cash = no envelope system.

This is the first time in two and a half months I have gone sans envelope system. Sure, it's not great that I resorted to the check card, but the money does come directly out of my checking account and my transactions are limited. It's not like in previous months when I would check my online account balance obsessively to keep track of my transactions (here I go justifying things again:). Sure, I could have made a cash withdrawal and put that money into my envelopes, but honestly, I feel like these practices have become habits.

This habit has become so consistent, in fact, that people are taking notice and holding me accountable. Will I always use my envelope system in the future no matter what? You bet I will!

So here is my money memoirs advice for the day: Pay with cash and let them see you do it. Sometimes it is difficult to hold ourselves accountable 100% of the time, every once in a while we need the help of friends.