Cash Envelope Tracker

Who this is for

A register for the envelope system. Each envelope gets a row: what it is for, what you put in at the start of the period, anything added since, what has gone out and what should still be inside. Counting the cash against the figure is the point of the sheet.

Households that draw cash out and divide it between envelopes or jars, anyone trying the method for the first time, and people who keep envelopes for some categories and cards for the rest.

What this helps you track

• What each envelope is for and what period it covers
• How much was put in at the start and how much has been added since
• What has been spent out of each one
• What should still be in the envelope, to check against the cash
• The totals across every envelope, for the budget

How to use it

1. Write the period, the household and the date the cash was drawn at the top.
2. Give each envelope a row: name it, say what it is for, and enter the amount you put in.
3. Record anything added later in the topped up column, so the arithmetic still works when an envelope is refilled mid-period.
4. Write what has been spent out of the envelope. Update it as you go rather than at the end.
5. The left column and the totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add the first two columns and take off the spending.
6. Count the cash in each envelope against the left column at the end of the period, and note any difference before you start the next one.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Do I have to use real cash?

No. Plenty of people run the same system with named pots in a bank app and use this sheet as the register. The columns work either way; the counting step is the one that only applies to paper money.

What if an envelope runs out?

Either stop spending on it until the next period, or move money from another envelope and record it as a top-up on one row and as spending on the other, so the totals still agree.

What happens to money left in an envelope?

That is your decision — carry it over, move it to savings or spend it. Whichever you choose, note it on the sheet so the next period starts from a figure you can trust.

How many envelopes should there be?

As many as you will actually keep up with. The sheet does not suggest a number or a set of categories; the envelope and purpose columns are blank for that reason.