A New Month - A New Budget

Well, it's a new month and I'm so glad to be one step closer to cooler weather! The start of the new month also means creating a new budget or spending plan, which I happen to enjoy doing.

Budgeting, to me, is like a good puzzle. Putting together a good plan for my money is like trying to fit all the pieces in, just right, to get the best outcome. 

I will admit, it's a challenge to do if you've lost a big portion of your income, but that just makes the job that much more important, knowing where it all needs to go. 

I'm not a fancy budgeter, with tiny categories and spreadsheets. I am still a paper and pen kind of girl, with all my bills listed in a line, and simple headings like "amount budgeted" and "amount paid." 

I'm also not a "sinking fund" kind of girl, where you save a small amount for things that are coming up later. 

I have found, because I'm not a detail person, but more of a big picture person, that having too many tiny categories just confuses me and it's too much work.

What I like to do is list out all of my fixed bills and the amounts that are non-negotiable, then I list the variable spending amount, which is what I can budget for the month, for groceries, gas, and anything else we need to buy. I take that spending portion and I divide by 4 weeks and that gives me the total we can spend in a week on anything and everything.

The reason this works for me, is that life changes from week to week. When you have your money so divided into tiny categories and you're putting $7.00 here and $5.00 there, then you have a flat tire and you don't know what to do. 

But by knowing how much you can spend each week, then anything that happens during that week will be covered and you know what your boundaries are. 

Likewise, I don't have 15 different savings and checking accounts either. I have tried using multiple accounts for different things and I always end up coming back to the fact that simpler is better. 

I do have to remind myself that a savings account is to be used, when bigger or unexpected needs arise. I'm really bad about not wanting to use my savings and trying to fit everything into the weekly budget, but sometimes that's not realistic. I think a better idea is to have a set amount in the savings that you're not willing to go under and keeping it at least at that level or higher.

I have learned over the years of following different budgeting people, that some are very, very detailed and that must fit their personalities. It doesn't fit mine and so I would fail at every attempt to do it their way. When I finally realized that it's a personality difference (detailed person vs. big picture person), then I  didn't feel like such a failure. 

I've also learned over the years that it's ok to try different methods, but if you find yourself coming back to one certain default, then just stick with that one and make it work. 

Budgeting has become a big money making market, just like anything else. How ironic is that? Someone comes up with a complicated system and they decide to market it and make money off of teaching others how to use it. 

You don't need any fancy system to have a good, working budget. 

All you need is pen, paper and money to budget, and you're good to go. Wisdom and practicality will go a long way too. 

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How do you budget for the month? I'd love to hear any tips or tricks!

Until Next Time...

Blessings!