Want to spice up your budget planning in a meaningful way? Check out these 9 budget planner ideas, and create a budget you love planning!
If you’re like me, you might struggle to stick to a budget each month, and overspending becomes an inevitable part of each pay period.
Taking control of your finances can be overwhelming and tricky, but with a few simple changes, you can stop busting your budget. You can control your money, instead of your money controlling you.
This post is all about nine must-try budget planner ideas to help you stay focused and make budgeting fun for ultimate success.
1. Meal Plan
A meal plan might seem like a strange thing to include in your budget planner, but food is a large part of most people’s spending. Including it in your budget just makes sense.
Meal planning has several positive effects in regard to your budget.
Saving money at the grocery store- you will know exactly what ingredients you need for each meal.
Avoiding eating out- by having a plan, you are less likely to overspend your budget by going to a restaurant or grabbing fast food.
Due dates are crucial to your success with budgeting. By listing your due dates in your budget planner, you can be sure that you never miss a payment.
I recommend writing your due dates on a calendar along with the amount that you estimate that is due. This not only makes sure you pay everything on time, it also gives you an overall view of when your bills are due and how to best plan ahead for the month.
3. Special Events
Of all of the budget planner ideas, writing down special events is the one that I am guilty of forgetting the most. However, this category can prove to be the biggest budget buster if forgotten.
Be sure to start your month by writing down all special events that are happening during that pay period. These special events could include family birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other important events.
Being able to budget for these occasions at the beginning of the month will keep you from overspending at the time of the event.
Be sure to include extras in your budget. If your special event requires a gift, don’t forget to budget in wrapping paper or greeting card. If you’re mailing your gift, don’t forget to budget for shipping.
4. Daily Events
Much like special events, you also want to write down your daily events. These smaller events, like children’s concerts or games can require tickets or donations to attend.
These events can also include haircuts, doctor’s appointments, and routine maintenance appointments. Because these events don’t happen every month, can be easy to forget. Be sure to write them in your budget planner, so you won’t forget to allocate an appropriate amount for those activities.
One other thing to consider around these daily events is how you will manage to eat around them. If the timing of these activities would keep you from being able to eat at home, you will want to make sure to budget for your food that day.
5. Bucket List
One of my favorite budget planner ideas for making budgeting fun, is to include something from my bucket list as often as possible. You may not be able to accomplish a bucket list item every month or even most months; however, you should include one or two every year, if possible.
Bucket list items do not have to be big events, such as visiting a foreign country or climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes bucket list items could be to try food from a different country or taking a day off of work to do something fun with your spouse.
Sometimes budgeting can become restricting, but there is no need for that. You can budget in your bucket list goals.
You’ll want to list the thing you’re wanting to do and determine how much it will cost. Figure out how much you can save each month to accomplish that goal.
6. Goals
Having daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals is very important. These goals should be specific and measurable. As you work on your budget planner, be sure to keep your goals in mind and include any expenses that might be associated with your goal.
There are a lot of recommendations based on research that your goals should follow the SMART rules. This means they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time based.
One of the best budget planner ideas is to use colors to your advantage. There are many ways to use colors in your planner to help with organization.
Some ways that you can add color to your budget planner include using different colored pens, highlighters, and stickers.
I like to use all three of these items to add color and differentiation to my budget planner. Some ways you can use them is to put all bills in one color and all events in a different color. You can use a third color for to do’s.
There is an unlimited way to use colors in your planner. Check out some budget planner ideas that others are trying.
8. Quotes
Including quotes in your budget planner can help you stay on track when monthly budgeting becomes repetitive. Quotes can be both motivational and inspirational.
There are two types of quotes that people find to be the most inspiring:
Quotes from leaders
Bible verses
Bible Verse Motivational Quote Sticker
9. Stickers
Stickers can not only add color and interest to your budget planner, but it can also cut down on your time. There are two types of planner stickers that can be helpful with your budget planner ideas: functional and decorative.
Functional stickers are usually tabs or stickers with words that remind you when to pay a bill. Their job is not to necessarily make your budget planner pretty, but they can make budget tracking easier. Many people like to use these stickers to make it more obvious when bills or special events are happening.
Decorative stickers are made just to make your budget planner look pretty. They can double as a functional sticker, but usually don’t serve any true purpose other than to be decorative.
I like to use a combination of decorative and functional stickers in my budget planner.
Grab some decorative or functional stickers today, and make your budget planning more exciting!
This post was all about the nine budget planner ideas you should try right away for making budgeting fun.
If you have any budget planner ideas that you’ve implemented in your monthly budgets, I’d love for you to share them in a comment below.
One of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones is to get out of debt. Cut the worry, stress and overwhelm, and use these five steps to begin your journey to an amazing debt-free lifestyle.
Are you feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or at your wit’s end with your money? Do you dread any little thing going wrong that could put your finances in jeopardy? I’ve been there.
Five years ago, I was over $100,000 in debt and living paycheck to paycheck. Working to get out of debt was the best thing I did for a real life change. I followed these exact steps to get out of debt, and still, use them today to work towards more financial freedom.
After learning the steps to get out of debt, you’ll be ready to embark on your debt-free journey and change your future.
This post is all about how to get out of debt and begin living a debt-free life of freedom.
List all of your Debts Smallest to Largest
This first step can either be one of the easiest steps or one of the hardest. When I first started working to get out of debt, I had no idea how much we actually owed. You might find yourself in this same boat.
Start by gathering all of your monthly debt information. Make sure you know:
Your minimum payment
Total amount owed on each debt
You will then list your debts in order from smallest to largest based on the total amount you owe. We’ll talk more about this later, but you will use this information to implement the debt snowball.
Create a Monthly Budget
Creating a budget is one of the most important steps to get out of debt. While many people associate a budget with restrictive living and negativity, it is actually a plan for how you will spend your money each month.
Creating a budget can be started by following these four simple steps:
1. Start with your income
Write down how much income you bring in each month after taxes. Make sure to include any side hustles, overtime, or other sources of income you might have.
Your income is your starting point and the total amount you have to spend. This amount goes at the top of your budget sheet.
2. List your bills in order of date due
Under your income, you’ll list your monthly bills. I recommend listing them in order by the due date, so you can check them off as they are paid. This also helps you to avoid missing a payment.
This section of your budget will include bills such as your housing, electricity, water, subscriptions, credit card payments, loans, and any other regular expenses that you pay on a schedule each month.
Deduct the amount of these bills from your income.
3. List your monthly expenses
Next, you’ll want to list any expenses that you have such as groceries, gas, haircut money, entertainment, or blow money.
These are items that do not have a due date or a set amount you must pay. These expenses will vary from month to month, depending on events that are specific to you.
You might be including an oil change, car registration, or birthday gifts on any given month; however, these aren’t items that occur every month.
Deduct the amount of these expenses from your income.
4. Use the debt snowball to complete your budget
When you are listing your bills in step 2, you will be sure to list the minimum payments due for each debt. This step is detailed more in the debt snowball section, but you will pay all extra money left over on your smallest debt until it is paid off.
Tracking your expenses goes along with keeping a budget. By doing daily tracking, you will be able to monitor and make adjustments, if needed, to your budget in real-time.
Tracking expenses only takes two easy steps:
Write down the amount of every purchase you make or bill you pay.
Subtract it from how much money you have.
To track your expenses, you will want to use a budget tracker. The type of tracker you use can vary depending on your preferences. The three most popular ways to track expenses are:
Paper Tracker
Spreadsheet Tracker
Budget App
I highly recommend trying more than one type of tracker to see which works best for you. I used to use a paper tracker, but it was easy for me to skip transactions (or to be honest, just pretend some transactions never happened).
I decided to switch to a budget app, so every purchase came through and I was forced to assign it to a category.
The EveryDollar app is what I use now because it can sync directly with a bank account. It also has a free version, so you can get started with it right away.
Cut Spending
It’s difficult to cut spending, but this step is imperative for success in getting out of debt. The top reason you need to cut spending is so you can use that savings to throw at your debt.
There are many places to cut your budget, and I have done many of them. As a matter of fact, I have continued to do many of them.
Here are top ways to save money to get out of debt fast:
1. Unsubscribe
After examining your completed budget, see if you can identify one or more subscription services that you can do without. Some subscriptions to consider would be
Cable
TV/ Movie Streaming services, if you have more than one or two
Fancy cell phone plans
Physical or online magazines
Physical or online newspapers
Subscription boxes
Music Streaming Services
Book Services
2. Cook at home
If you’re like me, this might be difficult. If you work full-time, have kids, and are involved in a lot of evening activities, cooking at home can be a challenge. However, not only is it good for your bank account, but it’s also good for your health.
Some ways to make cooking at home easier can include these options:
Make crock-pot meals that cook while you’re at work.
Because energy bills can be one of your biggest expenses, and you have some control over them, reducing energy bills can be an easy way to save money to get out of debt.
Here are a few quick and easy changes you can make to reduce energy today:
Take advantage of natural light
Use LED light bulbs
Turn off or unplug game systems
Use a crock-pot for cooking
Use task lighting.
These are all inexpensive changes to make without much trouble. Try one or more of these today!
There can be many pitfalls when doing your grocery shopping. To avoid these, always have a plan before purchasing your groceries. Here are some tips that I’ve learned to help avoid overspending or wasting money buying groceries.
Do a meal plan for the week or month before you buy. This will allow you to make a comprehensive list and avoid things you don’t need.
Order your groceries online. Most grocery stores now offer free pickup and delivery for a small fee. Take advantage of this to avoid impulse shopping. You will also know exactly how much you’re going to spend and can adjust your purchases, if necessary.
Do not grocery shop while hungry. My mom used to tell me this all the time, and it is 100% true. You will buy many extra items if you’re hungry while shopping.
5. Use your local library
This has become one of my favorite ways to save money while working to get out of debt. Local libraries are definitely not the same place that I used to go to as a kid. They offer so much more than just books nowadays, and a library card is my favorite price…free!
Here are some great resources that are available at most libraries:
DVD’s- libraries now carry a large selection of dvd’s to check out, including new releases! One of my favorite parts about checking dvd’s out from the library is the return policy. You’ll have to check your library’s return policy, but mine allows you to keep them for a week.
Electronics- most libraries now have computers and sometimes even tablets that you can use while you’re at the library. If you’re trying to save money on internet bills, this is a great way to still have access to a computer while not having all of the expense of owning your own.
Events- Libraries have become a center for local events in many cities. Check your library’s website for upcoming events they might be hosting. They will often have famous authors come to speak about their books, local artists come and teach classes on their field, concerts for local musicians, and outdoor movie nights. This is a great way to get entertainment for free!
Books- I can’t leave this one out. The research shows so many benefits to reading, such a stress reduction, helping you fall asleep at night, improving vocabulary, fighting depression, and improving cognitive abilities. These are all great reasons to pick up a book at your library today!
6. Go outside
This has been one of my favorite distractions from spending money. There are so many great things to do outside that are free, and there are many health benefits to being outside.
Here are some of the top things to do outside and some of their benefits:
Go for a walk
Go for a bike ride
Plant a garden
Go fishing
Play frisbee or disc golf
It’s been proven that getting outside has amazing health benefits. Not only can you lower your stress, but you can also improve your muscle and bone health. Negative effects from diseases have been shown to be greatly reduced by getting out in nature.
Of course, for us, a great benefit is saving money. Instead of firing up the tv or going out for a movie, get outside and do something free and good for your health.
7. Make your own coffee, tea, and snacks
Many people have developed a habit of stopping on the way to work in the mornings and picking up coffee, tea, breakfast, or snacks.
While the price of coffee can vary greatly anywhere from $1.00 to over $5.00 a cup, this is a great way to save money. If you routinely buy a $2.50 coffee and a $2.50 pastry, you’re spending roughly $100 a month.
That extra $100 a month could make your get out of debt plan go much faster. Make your coffee, tea, breakfast, or snacks at home and start saving money today.
8. Do a no-spend month
No-Spend months are very popular right now and can help jump-start your ability to get out of debt. In order to complete one, you will want to follow the steps below.
Make an inventory of what items you have in your refrigerator and pantry.
Plan meals that will use up these items. Do not buy additional items that you already have.
Refrain from buying non-necessities during the month. These could include:
clothes
shoes
take out food
home decor
beauty supplies
The idea of a no-spend month is not that you will spend $0 because you’ll still have bills and necessities. The goal is to not spend on anything that isn’t pre-planned and is not 100% necessary during that month.
Check out these fun no-spend trackers to keep you motivated during your month of savings.
One of the best ways you can generate money to get out of debt quickly is to sell items around your house that you aren’t using.
There are many items around your home that others would like to buy, and you can sell these items at a garage sale, on the Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, Poshmark, or probably a hundred other sites or apps.
One thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to sell these items for the amount you paid for them. I highly recommend researching to see how much your items are currently selling for.
Here are some of the best things to sell to generate money to pay off debt:
Vehicle
Recreational vehicles (RV’s, boats, ATV’s, etc…)
Toys
Small kitchen appliances
Musical instruments
Expensive hobby items
Furniture
Game systems
Clothes
Shoes
All of those “just in case” items you have around the house
You might never need some of these items again, such as old toys and kitchen appliances; however, some of the items might be temporary sacrifices.
If your family loves to go boating, then selling your boat might be temporary while you get out of debt. Later, when you are out of debt and save up more money, you might buy a different boat.
We made several of these tough choices and later purchased better items by saving up and paying cash for them.
Increase Income
I love this step in the plan because it often means using your talents and skills to help you get out of debt. There are many ways to bring in extra money, but I’m only going to focus on the ones that I know are proven to work.
1. Work Overtime (if applicable)
Working overtime may or may not apply to you, as it does not apply to me. However, if you have the opportunity to work overtime at your full-time job, that is a great way to earn extra money.
You don’t need to learn any new skills or spend any additional money, and they pay you at a higher rate than normal.
This is a great way to earn extra to get out of debt.
2. Teach others
We all have skills that others want to master. It may be a hobby or something you’ve done at a job, but there is something you’ve learned how to do that you can share.
Some popular skills others will pay to learn:
English, Math or Foreign Language
Digital marketing skills
Programming (Coding)
Spreadsheet skills
Graphic design
Photography
Exercise techniques
Healthy Eating
Meal Planning
This list only scratches the surface, so start brainstorming all of those skills you could teach others as a side gig.
3. Freelance
You can use your skills to freelance work for others on websites, such as Fiverr, Upwork, 99 Designs, and many others.
These sites offer opportunities to complete individual jobs, including designing logos or websites, doing voiceovers, or content writing. There are hundreds of different types of work on these sites that you could do in your free time.
I have personally not done freelance work, but I have paid for it. It is a blessing for those of us with small businesses.
4. Start a blog
Did you know that when you do a google search, the results are articles written by real people just like you? All of those answers are written by people who have done the research and have experience in the topic you’re seeking information on.
You have information, skills, and the ability to research to help others through a blog.
Full disclosure, you will need to spend some money on tools to get started, but compared with starting other businesses, the cost is relatively small.
The best course that I used to get started with my blog was Perfecting Blogging by Sophia Lee. Her information is super easy to understand, and she shows exactly what she does to earn $100,000 a month with her blog.
I used other courses, but Perfecting Blogging was by far the best one for getting started with blogging.
5. Sell on Etsy
I absolutely LOVE selling on Etsy. Etsy is the platform that I have had the most success with earning money to get out of debt. Millions of people shop on Etsy every single day.
There are so many different items sold on Etsy, so most people can find something that they like to sell.
Handmade items
If you are a crafty person, Etsy just makes sense, because most items sold on Etsy are handmade. You could create and sell wreaths, jewelry, stickers, dolls, etc… There are just so many options.
Print on demand
If you aren’t a crafty person, selling print-on-demand items, such as t-shirts, necklaces, watches, Christmas ornaments, blankets, shoes, and so many other items is easy and popular.
To do print-on-demand, you create a design for your item, such as a t-shirt. Then you connect a print provider, such as Printify to your Etsy shop. When someone orders your design, Printify will print the t-shirt for you and mail it to your customer.
You only need to create the design and upload it to the program and Etsy. Many people thousands of dollars without ever touching the actual items they’re selling.
This is a very low-cost way to get started with Etsy, as you only need a graphic design program to make your designs and an account with a print provider.
The design program that I love to use is Canva. It has a free option or a paid option, which provides many more fonts and pictures for your designs. You can try Canva today with a 30 day free trial of the premium features with my link.
My recommended print providers are Printify and ShineOn. I have worked with both of these companies and had stellar experiences.
Digital Downloads
Many people, including myself, sell digital downloads. These could be SVG’s that people can use with their Cricut cutting machines, printable wall art, printable coloring sheets, Instagram highlight covers, business logos, and so many other digital files or printable items.
All you need to create digital downloads is a graphic design program, and again, I just love to use Canva. You can even get a 30 day free trial of their premium with my link.
If you are new to using Canva, check out the Design with Canva YouTube channel. I have learned a ton from their tutorials.
6. Other ways to earn money
You may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned many other options for earning money that other articles mention, such as doing surveys, transcription, or delivery.
I have tried these ways to make money, but have not had success with them.
The surveys, honestly want a lot of personal information, and the payouts are not very big. You would need to do A LOT of them to make significant money.
I did enjoy doing transcription, and I worked through Rev. Unfortunately, I was only able to make about $3 or $4 an hour. However, if you are really fast at typing and don’t make many mistakes, you may do much better than I did.
My husband tried doing delivery service more than once. He did make pretty good money delivering pizza, but it can be dangerous depending on the area you deliver to, and his car smelled like pizza forever…
As for Uber or food delivery service, he was not able to make enough to offset the gas and wear and tear on the car.
I’m not discouraging you from trying these side hustles but wanted to give you our honest experiences for you to consider.
The final step to get out of debt is to use the debt snowball method. With the debt snowball, you will take all the extra money that you have been able to accumulate from your budget, cutting spending, selling things, and earning extra money and throw it all on your smallest debt.
There are three easy steps to implementing the debt snowball:
Go back to your list of debts that you started with. They should be ordered from smallest debt to largest debt by how much you owe in total.
Pay minimum payments on all debts except the smallest.
Pay all of the extra money that you can get onto the smallest debt until it is paid off.
When the smallest debt is paid off, start paying everything you were paying on the smallest debt onto the second smallest debt.
Keep snowballing the amount you’re paying into each debt until you get to the largest one.
By starting with the smallest debts, you will be able to keep your momentum going by having quick wins at the beginning. By the time you get to the larger debts, paying them off will have become a habit, so it will be easier.
Many people argue against the debt snowball, and say you should start paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. While this seems logical, that may be a very large debt. it could easily become discouraging to take so long to pay it off.
We used the debt snowball to pay off over 25 credit cards and loans a few years ago. I can attest to the fact that it works.
Worrying about money is something that almost every single person experiences at some point. Give these 5 awesome ways to banish money worries a try and start living a more relaxed life.
Often in life, you may find yourself with too much month left for the amount of money you have. This can cause massive worrying about money.
While we can’t always control how much money we make or expenses that might crop up during a month, by making a few lifestyle changes, you can eliminate the feeling that you’re on the edge of disaster.
After being over $107,000 in debt and putting living expenses on credit cards for years, I made these changes, and it has made all of the difference in mine and my family’s lives.
This post is all about ways to stop worrying about money and live a more carefree life.
1. Eliminate Debt
We’re just going to start with the big one first. The best way to eliminate worrying about money is to eliminate debt. This may seem like an overwhelming task and miles out of reach, when what you need is to get rid of your money worries today.
Unfortunately, like me, it probably took you years to accumulate the amount of debt that you have, and getting rid of it doesn’t happen overnight.
However, there are some great ways to get out of debt, and most people when they follow a step-by-step plan, eliminate all of their debt within 2 years.
I highly recommend checking out Financial Peace University. This is the plan that enabled me and my family to pay off over $107,000 in debt in less than 2 years. After living debt-free for the last 4 years, I can say that I do not spend my nights awake worrying about money anymore, and have been able to navigate through job losses and changes.
2. Plan, Plan, Plan
One of the biggest factors in getting rid of my worries about money was to start using a daily planner. Planners give you a place to track your plans for the month, and this can have a great impact on your finances.
Here are 4 things you can keep track of in a planner that will help you chase all of that worrying about money away:
1. Meal Plan
Plan out your meals for the week or even the whole month, and avoid not only the money worries with how to have enough money to eat, but also avoid the dreaded debate on what to eat each night.
If things happen like they do in my house, anytime we’re undecided on food, it always spirals down to a horrible back and forth of “What do you want?”.
Meal planning can side-step these dreaded conversations, help save money, and also afford you the opportunity to make healthy meals.
2. Navigate busy evenings
Do you have a night or two where you won’t be home to cook? Writing out your schedule for the week will allow you to identify days or evenings that may be really busy, and might impact your ability to cook dinner or even be home to eat.
Tracking these busy dates in a planner can allow you to identify these hurdles ahead of time, and figure out a way to navigate them.
3. Habit tracking
Your habits have a strong impact on your daily routines, and your routines directly impact your money. Some great habits to track in your planner that can have tremendous benefits include: abstaining from soda, having a no spend day, reading a book, reading the Bible, spending time in prayer or meditation.
Tracking your habits daily is a great way to baby step your way to a happier, healthier life.
4. Identify important dates
Do you have any birthdays, anniversaries, or special occasions coming up? Using a planner to track upcoming special dates can help you to budget more accurately for your month.
3. Get Rid of the Ordinary and Strive for the Extraordinary
Basically, this can change your whole outlook on shopping. Many people have jumped on the Marie Kondo bandwagon, and others have made fun of it. In a nutshell, she urges you to only keep things you love.
While I personally don’t agree with all of her methods, this tip on getting rid of your worrying about money, goes hand-in-hand with this one piece of her philosophy.
Stop buying lots of random things, such as clothes.
I used to go to the outlet malls and discount stores and buy a few new pieces of clothes frequently. This resulted in my closet being stuffed with clothes that I never wanted to wear and that didn’t last.
One day I considered taking a trip out to do some more shopping to add to my already full closet, I just couldn’t find anything in the closet I wanted to wear. Nothing fit correctly. Nothing was really “my style”, and most things were faded or had holes.
If you find yourself in this same position, I recommend you do what I did. Ditch all of the cheap, ill-fitting clothes. For the price of 2 or 3 of those tops, you could have 1 nice top that fits you perfectly and you can’t wait to wear. For the price of 2 pairs of those too-tight, not quite short enough or long enough jeans, you could have 1 pair that you look amazing in.
Choose to pay a little more for 1 of the things that make you feel great, in exchange for 3 of the things that make you feel…ugh. Then, only buy a few items. You don’t need 20 tops. You only need 7.
Apply this to other items besides clothes, and you can have a simple, elegant home, an organized kitchen, and a clutter-free life filled with only things that are worth your money.
There are so many free resources available now, and most people do not utilize them, or even know they are available. My favorite free resources is the local library.
The library of 2021 is not the library of your childhood. I remember visiting the library when I was a kid. It was a quiet place full of books, but today, you might be surprised at what all your local library has to offer.
1. DVD’s
Most libraries now carry a large selection of current and classic movies across all genres. Not only can you rent them for free, you usually get them for a week or more. So no worries about returning them by the next day, even if you ran out of time to watch it.
2. Events
Many libraries now offer lots of different events for children, adults, seniors, singles and families. From special guest teachers and game nights, to movie nights, you can find all kinds of free entertainment.
3. Technology
Most libraries now provide computers and sometimes tablets for you to use while you’re in the building. Instead of having to buy expensive devices, you can utilize the ones at the library for free or a small daily fee.
By utilizing technology outside of your home, you can lower the amount of time you spend online, which can be beneficial to your health.
4. Books!
Did you know that there are many benefits to reading? Some of my favorite benefits include, lowering stress levels, living longer, and improving your focus.
If you have gotten out of the habit of doing daily reading, today is a great day to pick up the habit. Check out all 10 of these great benefits of reading every day.
5. Do a Monthly Budget
One key to taking control of your money, so as to quit worrying about money, is to start doing a monthly budget. If you’re like me, you probably heard the word “budget” with a negative connotation most of your life. I avoided doing a budget for the first 20 years of my married life….no lie.
Don’t be like me. Start doing a budget today.
First of all, a budget is not negative. It’s one of the most positive things I do every month now. These are the three big reasons to start a budget today:
1. You get to tell your money where to go
Are you tired of wondering every month what happened to all of your money? Where did it all go? Where is the $1000 worth of stuff in my house, since that $1000 isn’t in my account anymore? The truth is, it just gets frittered away.
By doing a budget before you get paid each month, you get to decide where every dollar of your paycheck is going to go before it ever hits your account.
2. Just stick to it
After creating your budget, your job is easy….just stick to it. You have $200 to spend on eating out? Yay! You get to decide which restaurants get blessed with your money this month. When the $200 is gone, then you’re done eating out.
You have $75 to buy that new purse you’ve had you’re eye on? WooHoo! Go get it, then don’t get anything else this month.
Take my word for it, having limits on your spending actually feels very freeing.
3. Set yourself up for success
By creating your budget at the beginning of the month, you are setting yourself up for money success. You will no longer feel the fear of running out of money, or those sleepless nights worrying about money and where it all went.
It seems like everywhere you turn now days, you hear the word “intentional” It’s been so used and overused, a lot of people just tune it out. Really, it’s just a fancy word for paying attention. One of the leading causes of money worries comes from worrying about running out of money or not having enough money each month.
You can remove this aspect of your worry by paying attention.
If you are like I was, you may not know how much money you have each month, how much needs to go out, or what the big picture of your finances actually looks like. Five years ago, I thought ignoring the details would keep the worry away, but it wasn’t until I started looking at the details all the time, that the worry disappeared.
The best way to do this is write down your spending….every….day.
This may seem difficult and like it might make you crazy, but I can attest to the opposite effect. By looking at your spending and writing it down every day, either on a transaction printable or on a spreadsheet, you will know exactly how much money you have at all times.
Another benefit to writing your spending down every day, is that it makes tracking your spending quick and easy. Most days, you won’t have more than 2 or 3 purchases, so it shouldn’t take you more than 3-5 minutes to stay up to date.
You will eliminate any surprise deductions from your account by tracking your spending each day. It’s easy to lose track of receipts and memories of purchases. By writing it down each day, you’re sure to know every expense before it comes out of your account.
7. Be Realistic
This tip has proven to be the hardest one for me to get a grasp on. For the first year that I did a budget, I hardly ever stuck to it. I finally had to come to grips with the fact that my budget was a fantasy.
Creating a budget that isn’t realistic will be impossible to keep. So, keep it real.
Here are some hard facts and questions you might need to address:
1. You have to eat.
Don’t budget $200 a month for food, if it really costs you $600 a month. Now, cutting back on snacks and sugary drinks will not only help your budget, but they’ll improve your health.
Some cuts to your food budget can be good, but undercutting your budget in an effort to save money to a point that you can’t actually feed yourself or your family will just cause you to fail that month.
2. Are you really going out to eat?
Here is where I failed most of the time. I’d budget $0 for eating out and say we’re never going into a restaurant this month. However, I knew my daughter and her family were coming to visit at least one weekend that month, and we would want to take them to their favorite restaurant.
Budgeting for this trip out, along with nights that I knew we wouldn’t get home until 9:00, just makes sense.
Avoiding restaurants, again, is not only beneficial to your wallet, but also to your health. However, setting your self up for success with a realistic budget and some self-control will go a long way.
3. Do you have blow money?
Blow money is essentially money you get to blow, or spend on anything you want. It could include entertainment, eating lunch out, or a purse you’ve been eyeing.
Having money budgeted as blow money is important, because being successful at eliminating worrying about money means that you feel like you can spend money on things that are important to you. Feeling constrained by your budget can make you feel more money worries.
Be sure to budget in a reasonable amount of money each month for you (and a spouse, if applicable) to spend the way you want. I also highly recommend making it in cash, so as to keep from overspending.
Being realistic about these aspects of your money can help banish all of that worrying about money each month, because you will have a solid plan.
I personally use these seven steps every day, and I can tell you that my life will never be the same.
I hope this helps you with a few ways to get started in eliminating your worrying about money to begin moving toward a more carefree life.
If you have other methods that you have implemented in your life to eliminate money worries, I’d love for you to share it in a comment below.
Have you had trouble saving money? The 26 week money challenge can help you save lots of money in small bi-weekly steps.
What is the 26 week money challenge?
This challenge happens over the course of either 26 weeks, which is 6 months, or over the course of one year or 52 weeks. Most people complete this challenge over 52 weeks, and put the money into savings every two weeks. This challenge is perfect for those who are paid bi-weekly or every two weeks.
The challenge starts small with only saving $3 the first week and works its way up to saving $101 at the most in one week.
By the end of the challenge, you will have saved $1,378 at the end of the 26 weeks.
What are the benefits of completing the challenge?
There are many benefits to completing this savings challenge, such as
Builds up your saving muscles– It makes saving money a habit that you can continue through the rest of your life.
Starter Emergency Fund– When you finish, you will have a starter emergency fund to put margin between you life’s emergencies.
You can start any time– Many people think they need to start a big challenge at the beginning of a new year, but it is not necessary. You can start it any month and any day of the year.
First step to financial freedom– If you wish to pursue financial freedom, you will have completed baby step 1 of Dave Ramsey’s baby step plan for financial peace, which I highly recommend.
Influence– If you have children, showing them your dedication to saving and taking control of your money can have a positive influence on their future.
4 simple steps for competing the 26 week money challenge
1. Use a visual tracker
Many people have success with staying motivated for the 26 week money challenge by printing out a tracker and placing it in a prominent place. Check out this 26 week challenge tracker.
If you don’t want to use a pre-made tracker, you can always create your own to put on your refrigerator or in a planner. In my own experience, if you keep the tracker in a prominent place where you and others in your family can see it daily, you will be more likely to follow through each week.
So, step one will be to print out a visual tracker or create your own and place it in a place that is easy to see on a daily basis.
2. Designate an envelope or a bank account for your savings
You can choose to save two different ways, electronically or with cash.
If you want to save in a bank account, then each week, you will transfer the amount into that account.
The important part to this step is that for the entire year, you must not remove money from where you have deposited it.
3. Color your tracker
Each week when you save the correct amount, color in the icon on your tracker that corresponds with that week’s savings.
By coloring in your tracker, you will stay motivated as you see the more and more icons being colored in.
4. Celebrate your dedication to success
Celebrate each week as you meet that week’s savings goal. There is no need to wait until you’ve saved the total amount, since you’re building savings muscles, each week is a celebration.
As you color in each week’s icon, find a fun way to celebrate. You’re changing your life and taking control of your money, and that is worth celebrating!
A Modified Challenge
I’d like to mention a slightly modified option that may work better for you than the traditional way of completing the challenge.
If you happen to be starting the challenge at the beginning of the new year, you might notice that you’re saving only $10 in the month of January; however, you’re saving $204 in the month of December. This could prove challenging with the holidays.
One way that you could modify the challenge is to choose any dollar amount that you want to save each week. For instance, if you happened to get a bonus at work one week, that might be a good week to save the $103. If you’re having a tight week, because it’s close to the end of the month, you might want to save a lower amount.
As long as your icons are all colored in by the end of the year, and you have saved each amount, then you will still save the full amount.
This is just another option, and you can decide which way works the best for you.
If you would rather do a weekly savings challenge, you might be interested in the 52 Week Money Challenge instead.
I hope you have great success in completing the 26 week money challenge, and it helps you to reach new goals!
If you complete the 26 week challenge or have completed another money challenge, please let us know in a comment below. I’d love to be your new cheerleader!
Saving money can be tricky, but you can use the 52 week money challenge to baby step your way to a year’s worth of savings.
There can be many obstacles to saving money, and if you’re like me, you may wish to save, but frequently fail to follow through. In addition, you may be one of the 78% of Americans that live paycheck to paycheck.
Using the 52 week money challenge, saving makes saving money motivating and a game.
You’ll learn how to use the 52 week challenge to save $1,378 in one year in five easy steps, and exercise your savings muscles for continued savings after the challenge.
This post is about how to save with the 52 week money challenge.
What is the 52 week money challenge?
The challenge is a way to save small amounts of money each week, and by the end of a year, you will have saved $1,378.
In this challenge you’ll start by saving $1. Each week, the amount saved increases by only one dollar, until eventually you’ve saved enough for a starter emergency fund.
Benefits of completing the challenge
There are several benefits to completing this challenge:
Builds up your saving muscles– It makes saving money a habit that you can continue through the rest of your life.
Starter Emergency Fund– When you finish, you will have a starter emergency fund to put margin between you life’s emergencies.
You can start any time– Many people think they need to start a big challenge at the beginning of a new year, but it is not necessary. You can start it any month and any day of the year.
First step to financial freedom– If you wish to pursue financial freedom, you will have completed baby step 1 of Dave Ramsey’s baby step plan for financial peace, which I highly recommend.
Influence– If you have children, showing them your dedication to saving and taking control of your money can have a positive influence on their future.
One great way to stay motivated while completing the 52 Week Money Challenge is to use a printable tracker.
If you don’t want to use a pre-made tracker, you can always create your own to put on your refrigerator or in a planner. In my own experience, if you keep the tracker in a prominent place where you and others in your family can see it daily, you will be more likely to follow through each week.
So, step one will be to print out a visual tracker or create your own and place it in a place that is easy to see on a daily basis.
2. Designate an envelope or a bank account for your savings
You can choose to save two different ways, electronically or with cash.
If you want to save in a bank account, then each week, you will transfer the amount into that account.
The important part to this step is that for the entire year, you must not remove money from where you have deposited it.
3. Color your tracker
Each week when you save the correct amount, color in the icon on your tracker that corresponds with that week’s savings.
By coloring in your tracker, you will stay motivated as you see the more and more icons being colored in.
4. Celebrate your dedication to success
Celebrate each week as you meet that week’s savings goal. There is no need to wait until you’ve saved the total amount, since you’re building savings muscles, each week is a celebration.
As you color in each week’s icon, find a fun way to celebrate. You’re changing your life and taking control of your money, and that is worth celebrating!
A Modified Option
I’d like to mention a slightly modified option that may work better for you than the traditional way of completing the challenge.
If you happen to be starting the challenge at the beginning of the new year, you might notice that you’re saving only $10 in the month of January; however, you’re saving $202 in the month of December. This could prove challenging with the holidays.
One way that you could modify the challenge is to choose any dollar amount that you want to save each week. For instance, if you happened to get a bonus at work one week, that might be a good week to save the $52. If you’re having a tight week, because it’s close to the end of the month, you might want to save a lower amount.
As long as your icons are all colored in by the end of the year, and you have saved each amount, then you will still save the full amount.
This is just another option, and you can decide which way works the best for you.
Get paid bi-weekly?
If you get paid bi-weekly, you might be interested in the 26 week money challenge instead. This challenge has you save the same amount of money, but only save every other week.
You can read more about the 26 week money challenge here.
I hope you have great success in saving with the 52 week money challenge.
Have you done the 52 week money challenge before or another savings challenge? I’d love to hear about your successes in a comment below. Let me be your newest cheerleader!
Deciding to create a budget each month can seem like an overwhelming proposition, but these seven benefits highlight the importance of budgeting, and can make it worth the effort.
You may have wondered about the importance of budgeting and heard the word “budget” thrown around throughout your life. Often “budget” is used with a negative tone. If you’re like me, you might have just decided to just avoid that stress.
Maybe you’re like me, and you never understood the importance of budgeting and all of the great benefits that it offers.
You’ll see how it gives you permission to spend, puts you in charge. It helps you identify what’s important to you, and can even improve your marriage.
After learning all of these amazing benefits, you’ll be ready to dive into budgeting head first.
This post is all about the importance of budgeting and seven surprising benefits.
1. Gives You Permission to Spend
I’m going to start here with my favorite benefit. Budgeting gives you permission to spend. The word “budget” typically brings negative thoughts to mind, but actually, when you have a plan, you get to decide where your money is going.
For example, if you love going to Starbucks, after you’ve budgeted your required expenses, create a fund or cash envelope for Starbucks. If you put $50 in your Starbucks fund, then you have $50 to spend anytime you want on Starbucks.
Once you create the parts of your budget that are important to you, you have complete freedom of how to and when to spend that money.
2. Puts You in Charge
When you create a budget, you are putting yourself in charge and taking control back from impulsive spending and the dreaded mysteriously disappearing money.
If you have a problem, like I did, with money just mysteriously disappearing from your accounts, you will love this benefit.
No more will you wonder where your money went. When you begin to budget, each time you spend, you will know exactly where it went. You were the one who wrote it down!
You can then choose to continue to spend that money on the same items the following month, or make a change. It’s completely like a choose your own adventure game.
3. Identifies What’s Important To You
When thinking about the importance of budgeting, it really just comes down to what is important to you.
After budgeting your money and looking back at the end of the month, you’ll be able to see exactly where all of your money was spent. You can quickly see where you placed items of importance for the month.
If you’re happy with your spending, you can keep your spending budget the same the next month. However, if you’re unhappy with where your money went, you can change it.
You have the power to spend your money on what is important to you, and to cut out spending on things that are less significant.
4. Improves Your Marriage
One of the leading causes of divorce in the United States is money arguments. In order for a budget to work in a marriage, both people need to create the budget together and stick to it together.
Full disclosure, ending money fights doesn’t happen overnight, but the more you collaborate on your spending, the easier it is to collaborate on other things in your marriage.
Budgeting for a family definitely requires teamwork.
Many times, couples keep their finances separate, or one person is in charge of paying the bills and tracking the money. I can tell you from first hand experience, this is not ideal for your marriage.
Having separate accounts or having only one person with knowledge of what’s happening with your money can easily create a climate of distrust or jealousy. Eliminate these negative consequences by working together on your budget.
I highly recommend one person being in charge of paying the bills, but only after a budget has been agreed upon by both people.
Also, both partners should be actively paying attention to their daily spending, in order to stay on track.
5. Increases Contentment
Once you begin to budget your money, you might discover there are things you’re spending your money on that are unnecessary.
One of my big realizations was that every penny that I spent equated to a number of hours that I had to work to earn that money. That made me think twice about if I wanted to trade two days worth of work for that dinner out or not.
You might discover that you’re content with most of the things you already have, or you might decide to only purchase things that you really like going forward.
Another thing that can contribute to contentment is to keep a gratitude log. I love this simple gratitude journal to keep track of a year’s worth of thankfulness.
6. More Generosity
One of my favorite parts of doing a monthly budget is deciding how much to give or donate to others. Regardless of how tight our budget is, there are others who are more in need, and even a few dollars can help.
Generosity is proven to make you a happier person, and your generous spirit can bring others joy or relieve a weight.
Some possible benefits of being more generous include:
More positive outlook
Better mental and physical health
Higher self-esteem
Some ways to be more generous:
Tithe 10% to your church
Donate to a local charity
Buy gift cards and hand them out at your local coffee shop
Keep a few extra dollars in your wallet. Believe me, God will send someone your way that really needs it.
If you have ways that you love to be generous, add to this list with a comment below.
7. More Prepared for Emergencies
Back before I began budgeting, every little problem turned into a major emergency. If my child needed money for an unexpected field trip, or a tire went flat on the car…it all became a crisis.
Once I began budgeting, I started doing three things that kept small problems from becoming major problems. You might try these things also.
Create a buffer amount in your budget. This should be about $100-$200 a month, depending on your income for small problems or overages that might come up in the month.
Create sinking funds. Sinking funds are funds that you add a little bit to each month, so that Christmas doesn’t surprise you each December, or an oil change that’s due every 3 months becomes a big shock that it’s required.
Save 3-6 months worth of expenses. This becomes an emergency fund, and can help you get through true emergencies.
I hope this helps you identify the importance of budgeting, and seven ways it can benefit your life.
What benefits have you discovered from creating a monthly budget that have impacted your life? I’d love it if you’d contribute to this list in a comment below.
Hi, I'm Carrie. Welcome to my blog, Carrie Jay Budgets. I'm an educator, life long learner, and mom to three kids. I learned the hard way that saving money and budgeting is essential to living a life of freedom. Read more about my journey.
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