Create a budget, and stick with it

did this goal. I don’t think I’ll ever be fiscally perfect, but I have learned to look at where I am financially each month and to actually put something down on paper to guide me where everything is going each month. I am so glad that I’m doing this now, because it provides a little sanity to me. Finances are something that’ve been increasingly stressful to me since gas prices are high and life keeps happening, but it’s a lot better to have a general idea where things are going, and I’m learning more and more where I need to improve.

Thanks for all your support, teammate! :D

I do this ahead of time and actually prepare a plan to spend my money, and it not spend me. This is the first month I’ve actually been able to do this for a while because of hopefully being much healthier and not requiring a doctor’s visit or several. I’m glad I did this, too, because it appears that I’ll have to spend a significant portion of my funds on automobile gas alone. (I shouldn’t have complained so much when I was budgeting for $3/gallon…because I’m now budgeting for $4/gallon!) It’s nice to have a plan…now just to stick to it or go under budget this month.

We are doing a great job spending less on groceries. Hooray!

kind-of, but I went to the natural foods/organic grocery store this weekend. They were offering reusable, recycled materials shopping bags for 99¢ a bag. I bought about 5 of them, and found out they were able to give me a discount for buying more than 3. It is very nice because I am able to be environmentally friendly, and save money at the same time. I also plan to use these bags to transport other things, not just use them for shopping. It will help me decrease clutter with saving plastic and paper bags, too. (The ones I have already got, I will continue to recycle them as garbage bags or lunch bags.) Makes me happy that I’m able to do something positive with relatively low cost and some incentives, too.

This week I used my accumulated mattress fund to purchase a new bed. Now I am eyeing my budget and trying to decide what major purchase to save up for next. I decided to save for a new (to me, but used) computer, since mine is barely usable. (I am writing this from my boyfriend’s laptop.) It will take me until the fall to save up the funds I think I will need.

I feel like I am using my financial resources in a more powerful way than I have in the past. The thought of buying a new computer after having planned and saved for many months feels so exciting, compared to making major purchases on credit like I have done in the past (with my exercise machine, stereo, old computer, etc.). The money seems so much more real when you have saved it for a long time. I am much more careful to make wise purchases and get as good a deal as I can. Wow, just looking at a chunk of cash and deciding where to spend it, rather than making a purchase from a place of scarcity (“I don’t have enough money to buy this but I feel like I need it so I’m going to charge it.”).

I am also saving a small amount per month towards travel. The thought of taking a major trip in a year or two, and paying all or mostly cash… wow! Now that’s intoxicating!

Sure, it’s a little more accounting work, but I love knowing that I have funds set aside for the next time I need veterinary care for my cat, car repairs, a birthday/wedding/housewarming gift, some essential clothing item, etc. I am only setting aside small amounts towards each of these a month (only $20 for some, more for others), but it adds up fast! And I believe I can automate some of the work in Quicken so it will be virtually painless.

The car urgently needs new tires, apparently; we’re getting some tonight. I only started this in January, so the car repair fund hasn’t accumulated enough to cover that. But it’s nice to know that it will be there next time.

when I did my budget, but I will have tax refunds coming my way soon, so that will help make up the difference. Whenever one of them comes in I need to do a budget to address needs that I will need to dedicate that money toward. (Hopefully that will be sooner than later.)

I’ve kind-of caught up from the past few months’ financial crisis and can have a budget again that meets all my needs (unless something else happens!). I worked on it last night for about an hour…and I’m very happy that my new paycheck I will get today will be very wisely spent and saved.

It seems like there are so many expensive things I need! And the holidays didn’t go as expected either. Perhaps I need to create a “Holidays & Gifts” fund and put into it every month so it doesn’t throw everything off next year.

It’s a bit sobering, because I can’t afford to save or pay debt or spend as much on discretionary items as I thought I could. I found some really large discrepancies between budget and what is actually needed for several fixed/mandatory items like bills and taxes. That’s what I get for letting Quicken automatically generate the budget I started with, based on averages from the past. I should have scrutinized every single line item more closely.

At least this explains the end of the month blues I’m so often singing: “I got plenty left in my budget, but nothin’ in my account.”