About Me

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I am a wife to the most amazing husband (Eric) and a mother to 2 wonderful kids (Jessica and Evan). My family is my world. I have recently put my career as a medical assistant on hold to be a stay-at-home mom/wife. We want to raise kids with manners and still have a strong family, so I am always trying ideas to help make things easier on me (cleaning tips, organization, meal planning, crafts, etc.) I thought I would share them with everyone out there. So, please comment with your ideas, or if you have tried one posted on here (Did you like it?) I am always open to suggestions. I am also looking for money savers. It's my new passion now that there is only 1 income.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Budget Basics



I have yet to come across a person who says "Oh my God, I can't wait to do the budget tonight!" With that said, we all (unless you found a money tree, and in that case, you better start sharing) need to budget. No matter how much money you bring in, you need to make sure you aren't over-spending.

Let me tell you how I first realized I needed to budget. When I got out "on my own" I thought budgeting meant calling the bank to hear the balance in my checking account before purchasing whatever it was I wanted. Needless to say, it wasn't good.

So, Here is what we do in our house. You don't have to follow it exact, but hopefully it gives you some ideas on how to create and follow your own budget plan.

The first thing we do is post a list of all "bills" and when they are due. I have this in a spreadsheet so I can easily add-on or remove a bill as life goes on. I also note if something is automatically withdrawn from our account so I don't forget to make sure the funds are there. I have overdrawn in the past from forgetting something was to come out. We keep this on our refrigerator. (If someone is going stop over, it will be removed from sight)


The other budgeting tip I have is to track yourself. About every 3 months or so, I print out our bank report for a full month. I then go through it and highlight all fast food debits in one color and all other unnecessary spending in another color. I then add the totals together. This keeps us on track as to not throw away our money. (There is a birthday gift amount blacked out in case the birthday person sees this.)

I love to hear tips and tricks other people find works for them, so feel free to comment.

7 comments:

  1. I like the idea of going through the bank statement with a highlighter. I might have to try that. Thanks for the idea!


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  2. I'm recently "truly" on my own for the first time and budgeting for the first time. Definitely like the bank statement-highlighter idea. Thanks!

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    1. Was highlighting your statement just as eye-opening?

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  3. I used to be a caseworker and one of the activities that we would have participants do is budget. 35% to household (includes utilities)15% to transportation (includes tags,gas, and insurance)
    10% clothing, 10% savings,10% medical,10% childcare, 5% gifts, 5% misc. (Includes entertainment)I found it helpful with my own budget. Also write everything you spend down for a month it helps keep track of where it all goes.

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  4. Me and my boyfriend just started living together and before we did so great at not over spending and now its like we can't stop spending. It makes no sense.

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    1. I would really track everything you are purchasing for a week. EVERYTHING. Even if it's a pack of gum. See where the problem lies.

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