No matter what time of year it is, it’s always a good time to start delving deep into your finances and taking control of your spending and saving. One of the most important parts of managing your finances is when you create a budget.
When you create a budget, you’ll want to create one that sticks! It’s easy to write one out and never follow it, but following it is the most crucial part. These tips will help you create a budget that lasts and benefits you for years to come!
Tips To Create A Budget That Sticks
1. Set goals.
It’s important to set goals before you start to create a budget. You’ll want to have a savings goal, a debt pay off goal, and just a general spending goal. If you have a lot of debt, you’ll likely want to cut down drastically on frivolous spending so you can pay your debt off quicker. Additionally, if you have a vacation or big event to save for in the future, you’ll probably want to put away quite a bit in savings during each pay period. Be realistic with your goals, and be responsible with them! Don’t skimp on saving or paying off debt to dine out. Prioritize!
2. Create a physical budget.
Having all of your goals in writing is a good idea. Sometimes the visual can really help to drive home how important your budget is! If you have something like a planner or bullet journal that you use throughout the year, creating a visual aid for your budget is a great idea, since you’ll be referring to it often. Otherwise, you can add goals and such to your calendar, too!
3. Use an app.
There are lots of apps and programs out there designed to help people create a budget that sticks. Things like Mint.com and Credit Karma are both great (and free) programs that can help you get on the right path financially. Sometimes utilizing an app to help give you direction and motivation can help create a budget that lasts a long time. Credit Karma can help you work on your credit, and while working on your credit, you’ll likely be more motivated to stick to that budget! Mint.com keeps a close eye on your spending and you can delegate certain allowances for different categories like “entertainment”, “food”, “utilities”, etc.
4. Print one out.
There are tons of printable budget sheets on places like Pinterest. Find one that you love and that works for you and print it out to fill out and complete! This can be a massive help when you first create a budget if you aren’t sure how it should be set up and what you should be accounting for.
5. Rewards!
If you have a hard time sticking to a budget normally and cutting down on spending, consider doing a type of reward system. For example, for every month that you don’t go over your budget, spend $30 on yourself for anything you want. For every 6 months you don’t go over budget, spend $100! Pick a realistic and financially sound reward and use it to motivate yourself!
If this is the first time you’ve had to create a budget, what questions do you have? Let us know and let’s discuss in the comments below!
We love Dave Ramsey. After attending a local event, we have put his ideas into practice and it has been great for our family. He just created a new free app to help you budget. http://www.everydollar.com
Hi Karrie! This is excellent, and the timing is perfect. I used Credit Karma (fantastic app) to increase my credit scores by over a hundred points, and was able to buy a house a year later. I just closed on the property, and now I need to set up a strict budget. Not only do I need it right now to see where I am financially, I’d also like to build a cushion for car repairs and save for a vacation next year. I know I can do this! THANKS!
Yes, yes you can do it!!! Be strong, and I’m rooting for you! Save girl, save!
budgeting is a little like dieting and I question the validity of using money as a reward for not going over budget. It doesn’t work for dieters and I don’t think it works for budgeters either. I notice you said that “if you are under budget” spend $30 – you did not add the caveat – as long as that doesn’t put you over budget!
The goal is the budget I think and some do well with a reward system. 🙂
Good point. And i would also add that budgeting and saving are rewards unto themselves. Having a small nest egg either in one’s savings account,; or in your sock drawer to ward off emergencies is the real objective. Peace of mind is the BEST reward you can give yourself.