keep a budget

Using a website called Mint now. You start by adding all your accounts and credit cards. Then you see an overview of all your spendings in nifty colorful graphics. I was shocked at what I was spending on lunches and dinners and have since then cut back drastically.
You can set up limits for each category (gas, food, shopping…). If you overspend, Mint will send you a warning.
Not yet saving money BUT paid of one credit card, last year’s taxes and am going on a vacation. So it does seem to pay off.

I shouldn’t be allowed my own check book. I’m trying to be better, but I’m just no good at all those numbers. Arg.

I just can’t figure out how much is too much and how little is too little…

now that i’ve been budgeting for a couple of months, keeping a ‘budget diary’.. basically a notebook where i track my budget and spending on one notepage. i write the date at the top of each page.
i even bought fun color highlighters and in the beginning, broke everythign down into category..
this webpage helped a lot: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/ASimplerWayToSaveThe60Solution.aspx

And then i put all of my budget into the money program on my palm pilot to keep track of my spending. (quicken or excel works just as well)...

I’ve had to resort to withdrawing cash for ‘extra drinking or dining’ spending so that i dont go over, then i just do NOT use my cards :P

yep, it was a long complicated budgeting procedure.. but at last i am but 4 months away from being credit card debt free, and i will have saved close to $2000 which i plna on spending on a trip out of the country (or at least several out of state) in the next year! yay!

wow! didnt think .. but there was my problem, didnt thikn i could do it, but finally put my foot down.
i took out $100 in cash this month for dining/drinking out money.. so far, i’ve spent it all, but i’ve been good not to spend beyond that.. even though i’m going out tonite, uh oh.. maybe my date will pay, haha… well, the budget continues ;)

Well, although the first month wasn’t a complete disaster, it wasn’t a complete success. I made a budget, and with all efforts to stick to it, didn’t do too shabby.. I managed to come out with at least a positive number of earnings! Slowly but surely, I think this will work for me..

We went to see our financial advisor – good information to get started. Our budget looks ok, but there are things we need to do:

1. work together on the bills (we’ve set up a weekly meeting to review)
2. give ourselves an allowance

That’s all for a start.

well, i’ve been workin on this one for awhile. i had Quicken but found it too hard to use for what i wanted to do, which was really track and get a handle on my spending, which gets crazy.
I’ve been keeping all receits and diligently entering them into an Excel spreadsheet, grouping them by food, gas, other spending.. also keeping track of how much i owe in bills, when they are due.
I have a debt tracking section where i monitor my loans/debts and keep track of how they are increasing/decreasing.
I figure, at least paying attention to what i’ve got going on financially should help me, and it has. i should probably break down my ‘other spending’ category, as it gets quite large.. i’ve had to add a ‘house spending’ section since i bought my house… lots to do..

good lord this is hard.