The cash envelope is still taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet, with "SATURDAY" written on it in Sharpie and a single dollar bill left inside. I'm keeping it there as a souvenir. It was my one rule for my first summer in Evanston: ten dollars per Saturday, cash, from the first Saturday in June to the last one in August.
I moved into my studio on June 1. My rent is $1,295 a month, about 45% of my take-home, and my budget leaves $120 a month for fun and eating out. Some of that goes to dinners with Dan or Priya during the week. I wanted Saturdays to feel like a real day off without wrecking the month, so at the start of each month I put $10 in cash in the envelope for every Saturday in it. Here's what fit, and what didn't.
What fit easily
The downtown Evanston farmers market on Saturday mornings was my anchor. Most weeks, I'd walk over with a tote bag and spend $4 to $6 on whatever looked best: a pint of strawberries in June, peaches in August, a loaf of bread once. I'd walk around twice, listen to whoever was playing music near the entrance, and walk home with change left.
The beaches. I bought a resident season beach token in June, as a one-time summer cost outside the Saturday envelope, since I'd use it all season. After that, a beach afternoon cost nothing but a library book and sunscreen. I went to the beaches near Main Street and Dempster most often, and a couple of times walked north to Lighthouse Beach, where the bluff is a nice change from the flat stretches.
Free concerts. Evanston has summer evening concerts in a few parks, and the lakefront ones are the best. People bring blankets and dinner. I brought a sandwich I made at home and a thermos of iced tea, and it cost $0.
Long walks on the Northwestern lakefill. Quiet in summer with the students mostly gone, and great for watching sailboats.
The library. The main Evanston library is a short walk from my apartment, and on the hottest Saturdays, before I bought my window AC, it was the cheapest air conditioning in town.
What blew the budget
- A street festival with Dan in late June: $27. Food trucks, a lemonade and a T-shirt I didn't need. I covered the extra $17 from the following two Saturdays, which were both free beach days.
- Nolan's first Saturday as a Loop worker, in July. He wanted to celebrate with lunch in the city, and I took the Purple Line down. Train fare plus my lunch came to $19. Worth it.
- A rainy Saturday in August that turned into a movie matinee and popcorn: $14. I knew it was over the limit when I walked in. I'd do it again.
One Saturday in August I didn't spend anything because I had strep throat and stayed in bed with a carton of orange juice. I won't count that as a win.
There were thirteen Saturdays between June 6 and August 29. Total cash budget: $130. Total spent: $129. Most Saturdays were between $0 and $8, and three blew past $10.
My arithmetic: $129 ÷ 13 = about $9.92 per Saturday. I came in under, but only just.
The bigger effect showed up in the club sheet. My fun and eating-out line stayed at or under $120 every month this summer, which hasn't always happened, and the money left went straight to my emergency fund.
What I'd keep
A cash envelope works on me in a way a spreadsheet doesn't. When it's empty, it's empty. I can't move money from another category with two clicks.
Most of the best Saturdays were nearly free. Walks, the beach, a concert and the farmers market made me feel like I live in Evanston now, not just sleep here. The worst Saturdays, when I felt bored and a little lonely in my studio, weren't fixed by spending money.
Fall in Evanston starts this week, and I'm extending the envelope through October. The rule stays the same, though I suspect the beach days are over.
