It made me

happy

How I did it: Took a white sheet of paper on the first of each month and wrote the name of the month on top.  I use crayons to draw lines across the page, making 3 sections. 

Section one is set bills where I know what the amount will be, such as installment loans, credit cards, rent, etc. 

Section 2 is "allowances" for expenses, which are grocery allowance, gasoline allowance heat/electricity allowance (since the amount is different every month), and "fun money" allowance.  I have a budget amount for these things.  Gas for car is $60/month, groceries is $500/month, and gas/electricity is $200 a month.  Everyone will have a different amount, depending on family size, how much you use your car, etc.  These figures is just what I use for my family. This is useful because I can track the expenses and if my utilities go beyond 200/month, I can conserve energy at home to keep the budget in tact.  Same with food.  If we eat out too much, the food bill can go beyond 500/month.  It's good to watch these expenses closely.

The third section is all my income.  I am a waitress, so every day my pay rate is different.  If we are really busy, I will make $20 an hour.  If we are slow, it's more like $12 an hour.  I write down what I made every day and make sure that all the surplus is put into savings or put away for my son's college fund.

HIGHLY recommended.  I have been doing this for 14 months, and I can never live without a monthly budget again!!! Read how I did it… 3 years ago