EnsobreGive every dollar a job
When money reaches your account, decide what it needs to cover: housing, groceries, transit, a subscription, a future trip, or something else. Each purpose is an envelope. The rule is not “never spend”; it is “do not spend money before choosing its job.”
What “Ready to assign” means
Ready to assign is money in your accounts that has not yet been given a job. A zero can be useful: it means your current money has a purpose. It is not a target to hit by making up money you expect to receive later.
A simple month
Suppose you have $2,400 available. You might assign $1,100 to housing, $450 to groceries, $150 to transportation, $100 to eating out, and $300 to a future expense. The remaining $300 can stay Ready to assign until you decide what it needs to do. These are examples, not recommendations.
When an envelope runs short
A short envelope is information, not a failure. Before spending more, move money deliberately from another envelope if that is the choice you want to make. Seeing that trade-off is the point of the method.
What carries into the next month
Positive money stays with the same envelope next month. That lets a future expense build gradually. A negative envelope needs attention because the money has already been spent; the app keeps that visible rather than pretending it disappeared.
Common questions
Do envelopes have to match bank accounts?
No. Envelopes describe jobs for money; accounts describe where the money sits. One checking account can support several envelopes.
What if I receive more money later?
When it arrives, give that new money jobs then. You do not need to predict it first.