Ideas for auto transfer to prepaid debit card?

[ChaserRu]

I am looking for some options to help me with my budgeting. My problem has become not that I go over my budget every month, but that I feel BAD spending ANY money on myself.

I am looking for a way to transfer money on a weekly basis from my checking account to a prepaid debit card for my entertainment expenses. In a perfect world, I'd have about 5 checking accounts, one for each category of bill(house payment, utilities, insurance, etc) and transfer the needed amount into that acct automatically every week when my paycheck is deposited, and then the remaining amount would be entertainment, but I don't believe there is any way to do that.

Any suggestions?

[Flamingo]

An old teacher friend of ours refused automatic deposit when it became available simply because he had to do his budgeting his way. If I am reading your post correctly you need to have the organization in place (as he had to do) for each category of expense. When he deposited each check he kept out a certain amount of cash for each category (entertainment, gas, wife for entire household/clothing allowance including weekly food budget). The remainder he left in for utilities and mortgage or misc. bills. The cash was kept separately in envelopes in his bedroom desk and when amounts were removed it was marked on the front of the envelope leaving the balance in the envelope. It appears to me from your posting that you need to have that control in your budgeting. You can basically do the same and not have to remove funds from your checking account - just start a spread sheet showing your categories and the amounts that you want included in each one and run it like a check register. But I think you need to have the funds separated and not in one total fund to make it work for you.

Having multiple checking accounts is not the answer and having debit cards for each sector of your budget would probably drive you crazy if you had cards left over at the end of the period with an unknown balance on them, etc.

[AngelinaCatHub]

Very good 'Flamingo'. If it worked for him, it works. I had a thought of a multi pocketed wallet in the same maner. But your teacher has me beat. Many checking account can cause many problems. Too easy to write a check but when you see the green leaving the hand, then you see YOUR real money going. YES, God give me self control. Note my signature pic. 'Hub

[BKdinOhio]

Some Credit Unions allow sub accounts under the main account, usually for savings, and the like but could be used for that very purpose. You could have them set up an automatic transfer of funds each month to the account that the bills are paid out of.