5 tips to staying on a budget

I'm here today to admit that I have somewhat of a spending problem #thereisaidit

I can be a really good saver, but I can also be a really good spender and lately, spending has been my middle name. The hubby and I had a talk about it and we both agreed we need to spend less (mostly me, but it's nice to include him in the problem too) We thankfully do not have any credit card debt but it would be nice to spend less and put some money into savings.

Here's some ways I'm going to stay on budget in 2018


{ONE} - Track Expenses

Oh my gosh, doing this right after the holidays probably wasn't the best idea, but it totally showed me how frivolous I was being with our money! After listing out all of the extra purchases we made, I also wrote down our monthly expenses - things that we cannot change. I realize the problem area here is the spending on lots of "extras" and I'm going to do my hardest to stop


{TWO} - The Envelope System

I blogged all about my envelope system that I use to keep track of my monthly spending - you can read all about it here - this is totally working for me.

{THREE} - Meal Plan

I have been really good about meal planning for the past year, but it's usually just with dinner. I need to branch out and start including breakfast/lunch in there too.  I also usually only meal plan through Thursday because Friday is pizza night and Saturday we usually eat out (sometimes Sunday too!) that has gotten way out of control and I need to start planning weekend meals.

There's tons of meal planning printables on Pinterest which can be super helpful!

via

{FOUR} - Make Lists and stick to them!!

I can tell you right now that when I show up to the store without a list, I buy whatever the heck I want. I don't know why this happens, it just does.  Somehow running to Target for toilet paper, ends up with me purchasing $100 worth of stuff I did not need (I know I'm not alone here)

When I have a list, I am more determined to stick to it (with the occasional extra purchases)

So if I only need lightbulbs, toilet paper, dog food, that's what I need to write down and those are the only things I need to buy.



{FIVE} - Just Say No

Sometimes, I'm going to just have to say "no" and that's OK.  I'm sorry, but no I cannot go out to dinner for the 2nd time this week, or no, I'm sorry I can't go out shopping. I need to learn to spend within our means and not over-splurge.



So there you have it - 5 ways I'm trying to really stay on budget in the new year. What do you do if you stick to a budget?

Don't forget tomorrow is our first installment of 2018 Girl Chat!! We would love for you to link up and share some reintroductions!!

*linking up with Jessi's Design & Lindsays Sweet World

Monthly Spending Envelope System

Everyone knows I'm really good at saving money - but I'm also really good at spending money.

Today I'm going to show you how to create a simple and easy envelope system for tracking your monthly spending. Things like groceries, gas, shopping etc. I am starting off this new year being better with my money and this is for sure going to help me.

I found this system years ago on Pinterest (I cannot find the original pin for the life of me!) and utilized it once upon a time. It worked very well for me, that is, until I stopped using it.

*Something to note first - we use credit for pretty much everything and then pay it off every month. That way we can take advantage of cashback rewards. When I'm using this envelope system, I am not using cash but you totally can

So here's how my envelope system works:

After writing down our monthly expenses that won't change (mortgage, utilities, cable, etc) we came up with a number that we need to keep our monthly spending to. This includes spending for things like gas, groceries, co pays, eating out, etc. I took our monthly number and divided it by 4.33 (52 weeks divided by 12 to get the average since some months have more weeks than others)

That number is my amount I get to spend each week.

Now it's time to grab your envelope (I prefer business letter size) and at the top (if placing sideways) write down the month and year.

Then, divide it into 4 sections for 4 weeks (doesn't have to be perfect, clearly mine isn't) and write each week in it's section

So let's just say my number is $300 - I will write that into each weekly box at the top. Now for every purchase I make in each week, I will need to write it down and keep track.

After each purchase, I make sure to stick the receipt into my envelope (which I keep in my purse) and when I get home, I record the amount and stick the receipt inside. This is also super helpful because now my receipts for the entire month will be in one spot!! (also make sure to record any online purchases!)

If at the end of each week there is money left, you can choose to either roll that into the next week, or save it. I will probably do a little of both :) At the end of each month, I file the envelope away and again, if I need to ever go back to a certain month and find a receipt, it's all there.


So what do you think? Good idea? For me, this is something I need to do to stay accountable and mindful of my spending.

*linking up with Jessi's Design