Congratulations on your decision to ditch the debit and credit cards and start living on cash. Here are some tools and resources to help making the transition easier.
Cash envelope wallets — wallets to store the envelopes you keep with you all the time
Home safes — where to store the envelopes that you keep at home
Books — more resources on how to live on cash and live on a monthly cash flow plan
CASH ENVELOPE WALLETS FROM AMAZON
SavvyCents Wallet — $30ish + $4.25 shipping
- Comes in several colors and patterns.
- Has tabs and sections for your cash (no need to purchase separate envelopes or tabs).
- Does not qualify for Prime shipping.
I’ve been using this exact wallet for well over a year and I really, really like it. It still looks new and I pack that thing FULL of stuff. I believe the SavvyCents Wallet is the best all-around wallet for cash envelopes.
Amazon has a few other wallets that are affordable, fairly well made, and can be jerry-rigged to become a cash envelope wallet.
Bveyzi RFID Blocking Wristlet Wallet — ships for FREE with Prime (FREE returns)
- Lots of colors.
- Slot big enough to accommodate 3-4 envelopes or tabs. If you want to carry around more than 4 categories, don’t buy this one.
- Zipper is really easy to open and close.
- Need to purchase or make envelopes or tabs (see below).
Lavemi Wristlet Wallet — ships for FREE with Prime (FREE returns)
- More color options.
- Great reviews.
- Slot big enough to accommodate 3-4 envelopes or tabs. If you want to carry around more than 4 categories, don’t buy this one.
- Zipper is really easy to open and close.
- Need to purchase or make envelopes or tabs (see below).
Eurlove Wristlet Wallet — ships for FREE with Prime (FREE returns)
- Very affordable (under $15).
- Several colors.
- Good reviews, especially for the price.
- Slot big enough to accommodate 3-4 envelopes or tabs. If you want to carry around more than 4 categories, don’t buy this one.
- Zipper is really easy to open and close.
- Need to purchase or make envelopes or tabs (see below).
This one is a big narrower than the previous two wristlet wallets.
You’ll need envelopes or tabs for these Amazon wallets (not the SavvyCents wallet). There are not any super convenient options for tabs/dividers. You can do a couple of things:
- Use small mailing envelopes. I would cut the tabs off the top as you’ll probably have to make them shorter to fit into the wallet slot.
- Purchase ready-made tabs off etsy.
- Purchase a PDF tab template off etsy, print the image on cardstock, and cut them yourself.
- Purchase these coupon divider cards off Amazon. They are 7 inches wide so you may have to trim them a bit to fit inside the wristlet wallet. Hand write your categories on the tabs.
DAVE RAMSEY WALLETS
Dave Ramsey makes wallets that are specifically designed for living on cash.
I’ve used the brown/blue one pictured above for years and have been very pleased.
- Slots for your various cards.
- Zipper coin section.
- Envelopes included, not tabs. This is a plus if you prefer actual envelopes. There is a ledger printed on each envelope if you want to track your purchases, but once you fill up the page, you’re done. I never used the ledger and suggest you don’t.
- Affordable — The red one is $21.99 + shipping as of the day this post was published.
The only thing I don’t LOVE about these wallets are the envelopes (and I’m being picky here). They are paper and will eventually start tearing on the folds. This isn’t a big deal as you can tape them and keep trucking along. I used a set of envelopes in my wallet for over two years. You can also order an envelope replacement pack for $5.
Dave Ramsey also has an envelope system that can be used not as a wallet, but just for envelopes. So if you have a wallet you love and just want envelopes, buy that one ($14.99). Or if you want your partner to carry envelopes in addition to yours, the $15 system is a convenient option.
Amazon has most of the wallet systems available and they ship for FREE if you have Prime. DaveRamsey.com offers free shipping on orders of $30+. If your order is less than $30, buy them from Amazon:
DaveRamsey.com only has the red option pictured above. If you would like to purchase the brown/blue, you can email me at angela @ frugallivingnw.com to see if I have any extras. I purchased a boatload of red and blue/brown wallets from DaveRamsey.com a number of years ago to sell at live events where I taught and I currently have extra wallets.
HOME SAFE OPTIONS
As outlined in The Quick Guide to Ditching the Cards and Living on Cash, you’ll need a place to house the envelopes you don’t carry around with you all the time in your wallet.
You can find a hiding spot in your house or purchase more secure storage like a home safe. Amazon has lots of options that will work well and are under $50 shipping with Prime.
A home safe can also keep your important household papers and jewelry safe, so it’s a really smart purchase.
Note that none of the options listed here are not waterproof or fire proof. You get to pay a lot more money for that.
You can purchase a special fireproof document bag from Amazon for under $15. It’s fireproof and water resistant and looks to be large enough to hold pieces of paper as well, like birth certificates, titles, insurance docs, etc.
This would also be a smart thing to have in case of emergency, like a natural disaster, and you need to leave your home quickly with your cash and important docs. You can throw everything inside this and start moving.
Here are some safe options:
AmazonBasics Security Safe — 0.5 Cubic Feet — ships for FREE with Prime
Digital Safe-Electronic Steel Safe with Keypad — ships for FREE with Prime
Book Safe with Combination Lock — ships for FREE with Prime
If you don’t want to go all out and buy a real safe, you can get a fake book that has a combo and lots of room to store your money. This is a good option if you’re mostly concerned with your kids getting into your money. Not so great if a robber picks it up and carries it out of your house.
AmazonBasics Desk Drawer Safe — ships for FREE with Prime
This is a much smaller option that is designed to be stored and/or mounted inside a desk drawer.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Living on cash instead of using your credit and debit card as payment is just the start in learning how to control your money, live on less than you make, and make forward progress on achieving your financial goals.
It is imperative that you couple living on cash with CREATING AND LIVING ON A MONTHLY CASH FLOW PLAN.
You can learn more about how to create and live on a monthly cash flow plan in Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (Amazon). Check Dave Ramsey’s site to see if it’s cheaper than Amazon.
I also strongly suggest you attend Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. If you do the work outlined in the course, it will change your life.
