I can't make a budget work for us.
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I can't make a budget work for us.
| Fri, 01-16-2009 - 10:01pm |
I can not get a budget to work for us. I have been
| Fri, 01-16-2009 - 10:01pm |
I can not get a budget to work for us. I have been
Sorry you're having trouble with your budget.
I know people swear by set in stone budgets, but I've always had a hard time making them work for us. I budget (I'm using the term loosely here) in a way that works for us. It may not be how others view a "budget" but it works for us.
I simply write down everything that is due each month, the day it is due and when we'll receive a late fee if it's not paid yet. Then I take our paychecks and I figure when everything will be paid without getting any late fees added onto things. Some months it works out perfectly and other months? Not so much. I try and avoid late fees at all costs because why should we pay these companies MORE money? (NOTE: We do not have credit cards so by late fees I am simply talking about the cable company or cell phone company).
I think as long as you have a good grasp on what you owe, when it's due and such you'll do just fine. You don't need everything set in stone.
There's other ways to budget.....let's think out of the box.
Mary Ann,
I am also in the budget per pay period, not per month group.
Hi Mary Ann, I have also done a budget depending on when I would get paid. I would take all of my bills, add them all up for a 12 month period, divide it by 52 so I would know exactly how much I needed per check to cover my monthly bills. I would take that money each week and set it aside, then I knew that I would always have enough for my bills each month. Each paycheck, I'd take out the amount I needed that week for groceries and gas and that's all I had to spend. Once it was gone, it was gone. Anything leftover would get divided into different accounts (on paper, not actual different accounts) for clothing expenses, savings, car expenses etc. I followed the debt proof living plan for awhile by Mary Hunt and it worked very well. She suggests different accounts for everything but I find that a little confusing.
But overall, you don't need a hugely complicated budget. I don't work with a set in stone budget either. I just try to stick to my Quicken Calendar. I plan everything out in there and I don't spend anything that's not already planned and budgeted in the calendar. And i have you to thank for the Quicken idea!
Well, I hope you don't get too frustrated by this budget thing, it really is hard, that's why no one does it!
Bex -
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift -thats why its called the present."
Bex -
ladies
Here is where I am stuck.
Hey Mary Ann,
Know the feeling.......it does look good on paper, right?
Norma
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus