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 Expert
Posts: 1482
  
Location: on my horse | This year I want to start keeping a detailed budget and keep better track of my monthly expenses, does anyone have budgeting tips they would like to share? I've gone online and found some decent monthly printout type sheets and info and am starting there but would like personal experiences too. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | I read Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" and it really helped with my budgeting. I don't normally like nonfiction books but it was an easy and fun read that really helped make sense out of money management. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
 
| I use Quickbooks for accounting. It is a great way to see exactly where your money is going.
Edited to add - I also have an Excel spreadsheet that I've used to create my budget with columns for monthly and yearly projected expenses as well as actual spending. I use my Quickbooks numbers to update my current values.
Edited by Jenbabe 2015-01-05 9:06 PM
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 There Could Be Aliens Out There
Posts: 1393
Location: North Central Kansas | Check out youneedabudget.com and mint.com there are also tons of excel spreadsheets online |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Dave Ramsey - I love his books and follow his methods with cash.
I still use many extra's like the mint.com for tracking things. I also use my own excel sheet every month. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | Well, my grandpa's sound advice was to spend less than you make. :)
What I do (and only do at this time with horse expenses, I could probably stand to carry it over into the other areas of my finances) is every time I buy something or spend something on a horse (whether feed, farrier, tack, hay, whatever) I write it down on a piece of paper and add it up. That way I know approximately how much a year it costs to maintain and take care of a horse. |
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Expert
Posts: 1280
Location: Texas | Dave R is great, and we have done his program, but my tip is to only budget 90% of your actual income (if you can). Some may not agree with me, but it works for me. Mainly because I never know what my husband might spend, or something comes up , or we go over budget in 1 area, etc. If you budget every penny of your income, there is no room for flexibility. And just like a really strict diet, it's probably not gonna be sustainable. There's my 2 cents  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I keep a spread sheet and each month I start a new one with all my income and when it gets paid at the top..then bills down the side...the bill name has a due date and as I pay them i put an X next to it so I remember lol we have 2 residences so have to keep all the house and utility payments straight lol but I like being able to look at something to see it all..and excel has an auto sum button so you can keep balances...i don't really keep track of daily expenses like gas or feed or food but i keep a balance of disposable income ( what they called it in accounting lol ) for the daily expenses...it's just my husband and I so it's not too hard to manage that way...but i can set a budget this way for what I want to save each month |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I created my own spreadsheet. It's messy and color coded and makes sense to me, lol.
I only get paid by my full time job 2x's a month and one of them is almost 100% bills so I have to budget the other paychec pretty carefully. It also helps me look forward to see things augo insurance is coming due so that month will be extra tight. |
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Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | KatieMac88 - 2015-01-05 7:50 PM
I read Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" and it really helped with my budgeting. I don't normally like nonfiction books but it was an easy and fun read that really helped make sense out of money management.
Do you think his methods are something I could apply to my daily life as a college student? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | I like everything on paper and written out. So I have a spread sheet of what we can and do spend each month on what. Like fuel, food, insurance, car payments, etc. Then I know how much we need to put into our joint account to coved this stuff(we pay our bills through joint). Then if we are a few days away from our paycheck and only have 20 left for fuel that we budgeted, we don't go anywhere unless needed. We also try to budget high, then we know if something comes up we are okay. We also have stashes of cash throughout the house incase something big happens. Good luck! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 302
Location: TX | redmansmyman11 - 2015-01-06 9:27 AM
KatieMac88 - 2015-01-05 7:50 PM
I read Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" and it really helped with my budgeting. I don't normally like nonfiction books but it was an easy and fun read that really helped make sense out of money management.
Do you think his methods are something I could apply to my daily life as a college student?
YES, most definitely. If you start now and learn how to budget, just think about how far ahead you will be in a few years. There are some points in his books that won't effect you (or me) but there's so much in the book that can help you.. Keeping track of your money, using cash, no credit cards, saving for big purchases, etc...
It's a good read and he has good sales on his books :) good luck! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Hubby and I are trying to get on the Dave Ramsey plan. I'm good about paying bills, but I'm terrible with managing the food/spending money. We have all the bills accounted for this month. We just need to take out the cash for the envelopes! But we are keeping track of what we've spent.
I'm pretty good at writing everything I spend in my check register.
I do a lot of mock budgets on paper before I'm paid. I also have all my payment due dates in my phone on my calendar as a recurring item. When I get paid, I look to see what is due until next payday and I get those scheduled.
I highly recommend getting Dave Ramsey's book and even listen to his podcast! I listen to his podcast every day on my commute home. He has alot of good advice on Real life struggles and situations. |
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 Ms Bling Bling Sleeze Kitty
Posts: 20904
Location: LouLouVille, OK | limit your cash that you carry, that is the easiest to blow and not realize what you just spent it on
nor how much you spent
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 World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | I created an Excel Spreadsheet which has become my lifeline! I have different tabs for different things (Budget, expenses, bills, etc)
The Budget part of my tab I got online somewhere, and it's a template, so very easy to use....I just input numbers, and it does all the calculating itself.
I live by this spreadsheet...keep track of everything has become second nature to me.... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| I write everything on paper and highlight the bills as they get paid. It works for me.. |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | I like mint.com.... |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | stay away from the stores, stay off the internet and stop eating.
this will pay you back in many ways your pocketbook and you will be thinner
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | redmansmyman11 - 2015-01-06 9:27 AM KatieMac88 - 2015-01-05 7:50 PM I read Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" and it really helped with my budgeting. I don't normally like nonfiction books but it was an easy and fun read that really helped make sense out of money management. Do you think his methods are something I could apply to my daily life as a college student?
Definitely. I read the book as part of a college class when I was in school and loved his ideas so much that I started following them. I mostly follow his budgeting advice and money saving advice. I have not tried the cash envelope system. He can help get you on the right track so that you'll be in a great place financially once you start on your career. |
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 Love Me Some Robert Redford
Posts: 2335
Location: WV | I did not take the time to read any other post so I am probably duplicating. This is what I do anyway...
We have ours separated out between checks. Write down every bill you pay out of that check, budget out gas, food, extra and what you want to put back for savings. I usually take out gas food and extra in cash and leave the rest in the bank. I save a little more with what I take out on the extra that way because I hate the thought that, that is all the money I have. lol This is all written down in my planner also. Doing a budget has really helped us from not wasting on petty stuff. |
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Love Me Some Robert Redford
Posts: 2335
Location: WV | hammer_time - 2015-01-06 3:16 PM
Hubby and I are trying to get on the Dave Ramsey plan. I'm good about paying bills, but I'm terrible with managing the food/spending money. We have all the bills accounted for this month. We just need to take out the cash for the envelopes! But we are keeping track of what we've spent.
I'm pretty good at writing everything I spend in my check register.
I do a lot of mock budgets on paper before I'm paid. I also have all my payment due dates in my phone on my calendar as a recurring item. When I get paid, I look to see what is due until next payday and I get those scheduled.
I highly recommend getting Dave Ramsey's book and even listen to his podcast! I listen to his podcast every day on my commute home. He has alot of good advice on Real life struggles and situations.
I agree, I have one book of his. |
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OT-- Budgeting