5 Under-$10 Products to Build a Family Budget

“Budget” is a common word we often hear but don’t always abide by (myself included). I distinctly remember my husband and I sitting down together after Christmas four years ago, feeling determined to get organized and become debt-free. We officially decided to tackle our debt—over $20,000 worth—and knew we had to get creative with our spending. 

I started searching for budget-friendly products to help us save money without putting us into more debt. To my surprise, these affordable items became essential tools in our journey to becoming debt-free within 18 months. From practical household items to financial planning tools, each one played a part in keeping us on track. We learned how to stretch every dollar and build a budget that worked for us year after year. Our experience showed me that with the right resources, financial freedom is possible. These simple under-$10 budgeting products helped us change our economic future. 

Skydue Budget Binder

My husband and I had heard of the cash envelope system when we began our debt-free journey. Carrying around an envelope for every monthly expense seemed like a hassle, so I was excited to discover this $9 budget binder to house all my envelopes in one spot. 

Keeping track of deposits and withdrawals can be easy and fun with this budget planner, which has plenty of pockets to hold receipts, credit cards, pens, and more. It’s even better when you can add your own personal style to it with the choice of 22 colors, stickers, and budget sheets.

Knock Knock Weekly Money Tracker Pad

While scrolling through products to help us become debt-free, I discovered this simple yet detailed weekly expense tracker. Although we mostly carried cash, there were moments when we used our debit cards. This trackpad allowed us to immediately write down what was spent via our cards and helped us stay on track. 

There are 120 pages, each with more than 15 rows, to fill in where your money went throughout the week, like groceries or coffee. Some rows are blank so you can add your own expenses. Plus, this money tracker is currently on sale right now for under $10. 

Mr. Pen Money Envelopes for Cash

Instead of placing our holiday and birthday money in the budget binders, we decided to store away holiday cash in money envelopes. I labeled each envelope and kept them out of sight, which helped us significantly from spending more than we should. 

One Amazon shopper uses them for stashing their cash, too, saying they love the “thick quality and good seals” and would “buy again and again.” I agree—I’ll buy more for myself at only $7.

Sharpie Pocket Style Highlighters

Budgeting isn’t always perceived as fun, so I make it fun with these Sharpie highlighters. If you’re anything like me, you may enjoy highlighting successes, checklists, or being creative.  

I used these highlighters to create cute designs on my cash envelopes and to mark off each debt milestone we reached. I like how they’re easy to use, so we bought a pack of 12 assorted colors for only $7.

U Brands Contempo Magnetic Dry Erase Board

After weeks of budgeting and genuinely sticking to our money plan, I decided we needed a good visual for our family to observe the progress we would make in the coming months. A simple whiteboard was the best way to go. Each month, I logged how close we were to our debt-free goal. 

This $8 dry-erase board helps encourage productivity and I still use it for our monthly budget. The magnetic frame allowed us to display it horizontally or vertically on the fridge as a constant reminder to keep going.

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