This spring, I’ll be heading off to the Big Apple to visit friends and enjoy some time off. In the past, I’ve shied away from setting or following a budget while on vacation. It felt good to take a break from budgeting, but this unregulated spending often led to piles of leftovers after eating out, an overstuffed suitcase packed with too many souvenirs, and -worst of all- an empty bank account.

This year, I’ve resolved to be smarter and less wasteful with my vacation spending.  Following the principles of envelope budgeting I want to set a budget for my vacation now and start funding it in advance of my trip. By putting money aside today, I hope to enjoy my vacation tomorrow without having to dip into my savings.

With Goodbudget, I was able to do this in two easy steps.

1. I used the Add/Edit Envelopes page to create a new Goal Envelope called “NYC” and gave it a budget to match how much I intended to spend for the entire trip. This let me build up my vacation fund and track my progress over time.
2. To start filling the Envelope now, I adjusted my monthly Scheduled Fill to add less to my “Groceries” and “Entertainment” Envelopes, and instead put that money into the “NYC” Envelope. It wasn’t easy deciding where to cut back, but overall it’s a trade-off that I’m willing to make to be able to afford my vacation.

Now I can sit back, stick with my budget, and let my NYC Envelope fill up!