When getting started with budgeting, and even when you have been trying to budget for some time, it can be a little confusing of where to start. In order to create a successful budget, you need to know where your money goes.
A very important thing to learn when trying to save money is that investing in better quality products will save money in the long run. Purchasing things with a plan to just throw it away hurts not only our wallets, but the planet as well. Here are a few things that we use over and over again that will save money in the long run.
If you have never used a zero-based budget before, think of it as telling every dollar you have where it will go for the month. When you total up your budget categories, your total income minus total expenses should equal zero. It doesn’t always mean every dollar you have is spent. It means that you are giving each dollar of income a job to do or a place to go.
The world is a little scary right now, especially if your finances have been affected. If financial stress is what has brought you here I just want to tell you that you are not alone, and it is going to be okay. Nearly everyday I talk with families who are uncertain about their finances and are hoping to find ways to keep their heads above water. We have been there. Many times.
I stumbled on this method for meal planning somewhat accidentally. It frees up so much time throughout the week and helps us to stick to our grocery budget.
I talked a while back about how we sold our house to get a month ahead on our budget and it has made a huge difference on our finances. We were able to pay off our credit card debts and still had enough left to cover an entire month of bills.
But what if you don’t have a house you can unload to get ahead? Is it possible to get a month ahead while living paycheck to paycheck?
eMeals partnered up with several shopping services that will actually do your grocery shopping for you! I cut out hours of meal planning and grocery shopping with this easy to use app!
Dave and I sat down together for a few minutes this week to discuss our budget. We have often talked briefly about our spending limits each month and called it a “budget meeting”. This time though, we went more in depth and really talked through each part of our budget – the income and expenses, cash envelope amounts, sinking funds and current debts – for the month and our overall plan for 2020. Going into the new year we hope to really crack down on our budget.
Whether you are saving for a wedding, saving for a home, trying to payoff debts or just trying to make extra room in your tight budget, these discussions will be helpful to keep you both on track.
We have been living on a budget for nearly 5 years and we have made so many changes to our lifestyle. We have had many budget slip ups and bumps along the way. There have been so many unforeseen circumstances and only now, 5 years later, do we have a clear vision of what we want our future to look like.
A budget is a lot like a diet. If it is too strict it can easily fail and if it is too lenient it will also fail.
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