I'm not a crazy spender but I usually just put everything on my credit card and pay it off whenI get paid. Except it doesn't usually get paid off all the way...hence the excitement over a $0 balance. So I decided that with this fresh start I should stop using my credit card and start using a budget. It's hard. I don't even really know how to begin. And today I had to deny myself some very cute on-sale shorts because I frankly don't have enough money for them. If I wasn't so busy being sad about being poor, I'd be very proud of myself for holding back.
Like I said, I don't even know where to begin on making a budget. Any suggestions? Should I write down everything I've spent over the last little while? What if I don't know what I spent it on? How do you plan for things you don't have to pay all the time. For instance, I fork out a few hundred dollars a couple times a year to go home to visit my family. How do I work that into my monthly budget when I only have to do it twice a year? I could really use any suggestions, tips, or good resources you know of.
Pretty soon I'll be sittin' on several thou' in my savings account. Just have to stop spending it so I can start saving it... Oh, and yes. Those are my favorite earrings ever.
For reoccurring non-monthly things, like Christmas or our reunion, or special things that I want to save up for, like vacations...I set money aside into my savings account regularly. I put it all into the same savings account, but then I keep an excel spreadsheet where I have it sorted out into different categories, and I know how much of my savings account is allotted to the different categories. For example every time Jared has a payday I transfer $16 into savings, and at the end of the month when I "do my finances" I add that money to the Christmas category. And when I spend money on Christmas presents, I transfer that money out of savings, into checking and subtract it from my spreadsheet. I also keep a spreadsheet for my checking account. But that's a different story as to how I handle that. I can email you my spreadsheets if you want.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I love your blog. I love you. And also, I need to be like this. I just recently paid everything off too, and for the same reasons...and...ugh. Experiencing same sentiments.
ReplyDeleteI have a book and some software called "Debt Free on Any Income". You can borrow it and load it if you'd like. I think my mom has it too. It's not too long.
ReplyDeleteNews to me that you have a blog!!!
ReplyDeleteGotta read Dave Ramsey's Debt Make-Over. Really good!!