Keep the hands-on clarity of cash with a ledger you can share.
Use cash stuffing envelopes without losing the digital record
Counts can mirror physical cash envelopes, run a completely digital cash-stuffing plan, or combine cash with checking and card spending. The envelope remains the spending limit while accounts show where the money actually lives.
Start freeMix cash and electronic spending
Add a cash account beside checking or credit accounts and use the same envelope names across both.
Plan the withdrawal before payday
The free generator estimates the weekly cash pool after electronic bills, savings, and debt priorities.
Keep goals out of the wallet
Track sinking funds and long-term goals digitally even when everyday categories use physical cash.
How to get started
Choose cash-friendly categories
Start with flexible spending such as groceries, dining, personal money, or entertainment rather than every household bill.
Record the account transfer
When withdrawing cash, move the amount from checking to the cash account so total household money does not change.
Record spending or reconcile cash
Enter purchases as they happen or count the envelopes on a regular day and resolve the difference.
The envelope and the account answer different questions
A physical envelope may contain grocery cash, but the budget envelope is the decision record. A Counts cash account shows how much physical cash exists in total; Grocery, Dining, and Personal Money show what portions are still available for each purpose.
This distinction also makes hybrid budgeting possible. A grocery purchase can come from cash or checking while reducing the same Grocery envelope.
Start with categories where friction helps
Cash is most useful where seeing the remaining amount changes behavior. Flexible, frequent categories are strong candidates. Rent, subscriptions, insurance, and online bills can remain electronic while their digital envelopes stay in the same plan.
Begin with three to five cash categories. A smaller system is easier to count, carry, and reconcile, and it reveals whether the extra friction improves the decisions you care about.
Treat a withdrawal as a transfer, not an expense
Moving $300 from checking to a wallet does not make the household $300 poorer. Record an account transfer so balances remain accurate. The expenses occur later, when the cash leaves for groceries, fuel, or another purchase.
If detailed cash entry is too burdensome, choose a repeatable reconciliation method. Count the envelopes weekly, record any missing spending honestly, and adjust the categories before the next withdrawal.
Use digital goals for money that should stay put
Long-term savings, annual bills, and emergency reserves usually do not need physical cash. Keep them in an appropriate account while Counts envelopes preserve their separate jobs.
The hybrid method keeps the tactile boundary where it helps and avoids carrying or storing more cash than the household is comfortable protecting. Counts does not prescribe where money should be held; it keeps the chosen plan legible.
Questions people ask before starting
Do I need to use physical cash with Counts?
No. Digital envelopes work with checking, savings, cash, credit, and off-budget debt accounts. Physical cash is optional.
How do I record an ATM withdrawal?
Record it as a transfer from checking to the cash account. Then record purchases from cash against their envelopes.
Can I share a cash stuffing budget with a partner?
Yes. Household members can use separate Counts logins and work from the same envelope balances.
Is the cash stuffing generator free?
Yes. The public generator runs without an account and can help choose a first weekly cash amount.