Giving Our Debit Card A "Time Out"

We are like many other American families... trying to make it work on a budget. At this point, my decision to stay home with the kids, probably saves us money. After the cost of daycare and gas, there wouldn't be much left over for it to really make a difference. So, this leaves a family of four, trying to make it work on one income.

Lately, I have become almost addicted to checking our bank account on-line. What have I noticed? It's the debit cards fault... not mine :) Obviously, this is a joke. With that debit card in our hands, its easy to swipe it now and think about the actual numbers later. This is why I have decided to give the debit card a "time out".

What does this mean? For the month of April, I am going to begin each week by putting that weeks "shopping" budget in an envelope. This includes groceries, household items, clothes the kids may need... etc. The amount will be what we can afford without cutting our budget close every month. When one of us heads to the store for the needed items, the debit card is going to be left at home. We do not have a credit card, so this means the cash will be the only option. We will have to figure out how to make it work. Coupons, sales, giving up some of the unnecessary extras, whatever way possible. We will plan a menu and stick to it. I will not sacrifice the healthy foods my family needs, I will figure out how to make it work. Sure, I could save us money by serving hamburger helper every night, but that's not the point.

I plan to blog about this experience as we go. What challenges arise? How is it working and affecting our expenses? Is it possible nowadays to live this way? Most important, will it be worth the money we will save?