Push Your Envelope

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

One resolution that many people make is to spend less money, and thereby save more money. It is, indeed, a goal I've set myself - even if not as a New-Years resolution. The first step in spending less is always to take control of your money, rather than letting it run off wherever it might.
To do this, it is necessary to budget. Once you create your budget, the hardest thing is to stick to that budget, especially when debit cards make it so easy to spend whatever you like. What many people have repeatedly found, though, is that using cash helps you to spend less. To keep to their plans, many people use an envelope sytem. Each envelope contains the cash for a category of spending, as budgeted, and you write your transactions on the envelope. It's cheap, simple, and best of all, it works.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work well for many men, like myself. The envelopes don't fold well in your wallet, and they wear out or get crumpled or lost in your pocket. Soon, I found myself keeping cash loose in my wallet, trying to keep track of what it was for. It wasn't long before I started spending gas money on food.
That's where Push Your Envelope comes in. It's a convenient, pocket-sized case that holds four #6-3/4 envelopes. They each slip onto a tooth that holds them in place as you flip through, and a mini pencil makes it convenient to write down your purchases. When you're done, you fold the envelopes back inside, snap it shut, and slip it into your pocket. On the cover is the simple message to push your envelope - reminding you that a budget isn't a constriction, but rather a challenge.
Push Your Envelope exploits 3D printing's advantages. With support materials, it's possible to print both pieces at once, and have a fully functional hinge. It's also possible to print with sections completely in midair, like the teeth that hold the envelopes, or the retainer in the pencil compartment. These would be virtually impossible to make using conventional molds. In short, it's the ultimate unmakeable object, made possible by 3D printing, and making possible the goals of many.