With a very tight budget it is necessary to keep track of every penny.  This is how it will happen … Money Bags!After cashing a check for $372  every month I will split the money for each budgeted category into one of these pencil bags. Included in each bag will go the receipts and a notebook to record expenditures. (If you want to see the gory details of the budget check it out here.) Since  each bag has three reinforced holes and I have a 3 ringed notebook, all will fit. It will also look like  student’s pencils as opposed to a traveler’s wallet. Maybe an envelope in each bag to hide the precious money? At the end of every month I will add up and record what has been spent in which category. At the end of the year I will re-figure the budget.

Now the hard decision as to which color for which budget item?  Groceries in pink or orange? Laundry in blue?