Budgeting doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve finally broken free from the frustrating parts of budgeting to make it a much more sustainable habit.
Here are six changes I’ve implemented that were easy, effective, and led to better budgeting.
I Got Real With Myself
Your goals should mean something to you. That way, you’re way more likely to stick with your budget instead of rage-quitting after a bad week. I had to fess up and acknowledge that I wasn’t taking my process or goals very seriously.
And since I didn’t know where I was going, I was blowing money left and right. After some tough love and soul-searching, I was able to get specific about why I was budgeting, and suddenly things felt like they were moving forward.
I Tracked Everything. Ev-er-y-thing.
I track absolutely everything now. I wrote everything down initially (this wasn’t as sustainable, as you’ll read in the next tip), eventually using a combination of different budgeting approaches. It doesn’t matter what you use: you just have to track every last dollar.
This isn’t to judge yourself; it’s to find leaks in your budget and plug them before you lose too much to impulse buys.
I’m Using Apps
Writing things down might work for some people. But I needed something more streamlined. Apps (I personally love YNAB) made everything so much easier with automation, reminders, and colorful pie charts. There was suddenly no more guesstimating involved — I always knew where my cash was going, even if I forgot to write something down during a hectic day.
I Know My Needs vs Wants
After I got real with myself, it was time to set some boundaries. This meant breaking my spending down into specific categories. I eventually got to control my impulses without cutting all the fun out of my life.
Knowing what was actually necessary gave me the power to take a beat before I buy.
It doesn’t mean I don’t ever cave and buy something for myself. It just means that I’m balancing between reaching financial goals and ensuring I don’t have a budget that makes me miserable.
I Celebrate My Victories
Budgeting doesn’t always feel simple. And for many of us, it’s a habit we have to get used to, myself included.
That means giving myself positive reinforcement when I’m doing well. I treated myself (within reason) when I hit those milestones. Sometimes coffee, sometimes a movie, sometimes just a well-deserved nap.
If it was free, all the better, but the point was to gas myself up when I reached milestones, no matter how big or small.
I Review and Adjust
I suggest you set a weekly or monthly “money check-in” where you reevaluate how well things are working for you.
Budgets should be flexible, and you should feel like you can take advantage of that flexibility when you need it.
I put reminders on my calendar to keep myself honest and avoid passing the buck to future me. It was useful to look at what I spent and make tweaks without guilt or judgment.
