Budget Pad Patter|3.4

[HavaDrPepper]

I read a lot of his books, and used to listen to his podcast. But it wasn't working for me. I ended up switching over to YNAB (You Need A Budget) and that has really resonated for me. Similar concepts.

A lot of people that read the Dave Ramsey books end up using the YNAB software. In the long run, it really is the same principles. And, the basic one is telling your money where you want it to go, not letting it tell you where it went. I definitely am not a true disciple of the DR system but had I not found it, I would not be debt free. He gave me the momentum needed to get there.

I do some of what YNAB talks about as well... I reallocate monies from one virtual category to another when needed. I also have at least 2 months of bills in some of my categories (electric, cable etc). For example, my electric I budget a monthly amount based on a 12 month average. Of course, bills in the winter are higher than summer so the envelope tends to have a large amount during the summer months. But winter hits hard. This month's bill is extraordinarily high for several reasons. We had extremely cold weather and during this time I have been having work done in the basement and they were using lots of electricity. The money is there to pay the bill and I am not stressed about it.

It really is all about what works for an individual or family but knowing where your money is going is key no matter what system you use. Budgeting is that key.

 

[djp332]

Budget? What is a budget? Lol!

 

[Sokee]

the Budget/Bill paying, my hubby does it all. He love his spread sheet. He will pay what needs to get paid and goes to the bank gets me cash which I know is my grocery/spending money. It works great for us! I LOVE using cash as I can visually see what I have. I found in the past when I would just swipe my debit card I wouldn't realize how much I actually was spending in say a 2 week paycheck period, so I've really like the system we have now. We have done this for a couple years.
Oh, I do use our American Express for gas. AND I know my hubby uses it for auto pay on some bills. THEN the AX is paid off each month. We have gotten a lot of free stuff with it being attached to our Amazon account that way. I go onto Amazon every once in awhile see what points we have and buy close to that amount. win win

 

[LeeAndra]

Nope, no budget. It is actually a sore subject. DH says he wants one but then will blow it for his son if he feels like it (and doesn't ever run those costs by me beforehand) so I've given up fighting about it. Everything gets paid without using CCs, and there's some in savings so that's good enough until I get a better-paying job, I guess.

 

[Heidi Nicole]

That's all my hubby... I make him write down all the important stuff in case anything happens, but he loves doing that sort of thing... Anything he can use Excel with lol

 

[keepscrappin]

Hubby is an accountant, but he doesn't do our budget or pay the bills. I do. I always have. He's used to budgeting for a multi-million dollar company so things that are expensive in my mind aren't in his. He doesn't go out and spend a lot of money, but he doesn't look at prices either. I hate taking him to the grocery store. He just throws in whatever sounds good. He says if it's under $20, it's no big deal. I'm a penny pincher and look for deals, so I do all the shopping and we discuss big purchases together.

 

[IntenseMagic]

I go onto Amazon every once in awhile see what points we have and buy close to that amount.

I do that, too. It's fun being able to buy a little something here and there with those points.

 

[keepscrappin]

the Budget/Bill paying, my hubby does it all. He love his spread sheet. He will pay what needs to get paid and goes to the bank gets me cash which I know is my grocery/spending money. It works great for us! I LOVE using cash as I can visually see what I have. I found in the past when I would just swipe my debit card I wouldn't realize how much I actually was spending in say a 2 week paycheck period, so I've really like the system we have now. We have done this for a couple years.
Oh, I do use our American Express for gas. AND I know my hubby uses it for auto pay on some bills. THEN the AX is paid off each month. We have gotten a lot of free stuff with it being attached to our Amazon account that way. I go onto Amazon every once in awhile see what points we have and buy close to that amount. win win

I use our points on amazon too (mostly for movies).

 

[MrsPeel]

Budget? What is a budget? Lol!

yeah, that.



we just spend... we are really really good at saving though....
we lived for 10 years without a credit car5d or even a debit card, I had a savings account which allowed us to withdraw the money from the cash point but you couldn't use it for paying online, so 10 years of learning to manage on little money was great practoce.... now that I have to spend 90% of time in bed, we don;t spend much so we are doing fine ...but I have no idea how much it comes in precisely or how much we spend....

 

[jaye]

I need to get control so am just foraying into the budget world. What a reality when writing it down, it's kind of scary and smacks you in your face. I always just spent, got me in trouble again, need and want to get myself out of it. Credit card debt is my biggie....I am a credit card company's dream, unfortunately.
Did my budget for the month and then realized that I only get paid for 3 weeks this month due to Spring Break, yep I am short half a paycheque *sigh*. I have faithfully kept my receipts and put all in an envelope, tracked my spending and have been good at writing things down.
I will be canceling cable tv next week as my 'promotion deals' will be up and can do so without any penalty, should save me $75 a month. My home phone is free for another year (promotion) and that will go as well. Hoping this is a step in the right direction, wish me luck!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I'm single with dependents, so I handle the finances. I use Quicken to track my expenditures, but no longer have a written budget. I know approximately what I have to spend each month and approximately what my monthly bills (rent, utilities, food, medical expenses) are going to be. I do fully fund my retirement plan each year ... my #1 priority as I'm getting ready to retire in a few years ... just waiting for my youngest live-in grandson to turn 18 and graduate in 2023.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

I need to get control so am just foraying into the budget world. What a reality when writing it down, it's kind of scary and smacks you in your face. I always just spent, got me in trouble again, need and want to get myself out of it. Credit card debt is my biggie....I am a credit card company's dream, unfortunately.
Did my budget for the month and then realized that I only get paid for 3 weeks this month due to Spring Break, yep I am short half a paycheque *sigh*. I have faithfully kept my receipts and put all in an envelope, tracked my spending and have been good at writing things down.
I will be canceling cable tv next week as my 'promotion deals' will be up and can do so without any penalty, should save me $75 a month. My home phone is free for another year (promotion) and that will go as well. Hoping this is a step in the right direction, wish me luck!

Scary and smacking you in the face is a good way to describe it. Good for you taking the steps to get things back on track. If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to read "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. It is a quick read and can give you more ideas on how to get things under control. He definitely doesn't sugar coat things. His budget forms are a good place to start until you are more comfortable with doing the budgeting process.

Good luck!