Events and gifting
Cash Envelope Template
A free printable cash envelope that notes actually fit into, with a running balance grid on the front. Name your own categories, print one per page, then cut, fold and glue.
Four steps
How to make a cash envelope
- 1
Name the category
Groceries, fuel, eating out. Add a budget and a month if you want.
- 2
Check the size
Pick your currency and the tool confirms notes will fit flat.
- 3
Print on 120 to 160 gsm
Copy paper tears with daily handling; heavy card will not fold.
- 4
Cut and score
Cut the solid outline, then score the dashed folds with the back of a knife.
- 5
Fold and glue
Sides in first, then the bottom flap glued over them. Leave the top unglued.
Why the size matters more than it looks
Most printable cash envelopes are built to fit a page rather than to fit money. Notes are larger than people remember, and the differences between currencies are real:
| Note | Size | Needs at least |
|---|---|---|
| 50 pound | 151 x 85 mm | 157 x 91 mm |
| 200 euro | 153 x 82 mm | 159 x 88 mm |
| US notes | 156 x 66 mm | 162 x 72 mm |
The default here is 165 x 90 mm finished, which clears all three with room to get a finger in. An envelope that a note has to be folded into is one that gets abandoned in about a fortnight, and the method only works if the envelope is easier to use than a card.
The running balance is the technique
Envelope budgeting is often described as putting cash in envelopes, but that is only half of it. The half that changes behaviour is writing down what is left every time you spend. Without the grid you have to count the cash to know where you stand, so you mostly do not, and you find out you have overspent at the point where it is too late to do anything about it.
With the grid, the answer is on the front of the envelope. Four columns: the date, what went out, anything that went back in, and the balance. Fill in the balance every time, even for small amounts.
Making them last
- 120 to 160 gsm paper. Ordinary copy paper splits at the bottom corners within a couple of weeks of being opened daily.
- Score before folding. Run the back of a knife along the dashed lines against a ruler. Folding unscored paper gives a rounded, uneven edge.
- Glue the bottom flap to the side flaps, never to the face of the envelope, or the pocket is sealed shut.
- Leave the top flap unglued. It tucks in, so the envelope opens and closes all month without tearing.
Related printables
The planner and to-do lists cover the rest of the paper system, habit trackers handle the daily marking, and party printables use the same cut-and-fold approach for place cards and tags.
Answers