Reduce Stress and Take Action Towards Your Goals Through the Power of Budgeting
Updated: Aug 1, 2019
Have you ever wondered where the money you earned went? Do you wish that you could better manage your household finances so you could make progress towards your financial goals? Are you looking for the answer to your money problems?
The heart fluttering anxiety caused by a lack of household money management is all too common. And the sickening stress is decreasing your productivity, increasing your worries, and keeping you stuck in your present situation.
The good thing is, you don't have to live a life full of money worries. You can take control of your finances, start tackling debt and save for your family's future.
Now you are probably asking, so...HOW DO I DO THIS?
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away, I was in college. I was lucky enough while in college to meet the girl of my dreams who is now my wife.
I knew I wanted to spend my life with her because she makes me the person I am supposed to be. But I had a problem. I needed an engagement ring. I could have made excuses about how I am a part-time server and just trying to scrape by while finishing my degree, but, as I said, Elena always makes me want to be my best. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon a gentleman named Dave Ramsey. Through listening to his radio show and reading his books, I discovered the power of budgeting.
Get Your Free Monthly Budget Planner
So I set a ring budget and created a plan to save every penny I could find so that I could propose shortly after graduating. Every night after work, I would enter my earnings into a spreadsheet I made. At the end of the month, I tallied my wages, and that became my budget's funds for the next month. I gave every dollar I earned a job and saved little by little over the last two years of college, and it worked.
And if a 22-year-old part-time pasta slinger/college student can figure it out, I think there's hope for all of us.
So let's talk about creating the mental framework for budgeting success.
If you've tried in the past and never been able to be consistent—write down your why. Why do you want to budget?
Example: We want to budget so that we can reduce financial stress and save for our family's future.
When you first start to budget, you have to give yourself a break. You are not going to get it perfect from the beginning. Give yourself a few budgets, and eventually, you will better understand your expenses, which will lead to less error in your budgeting.
Make a commitment with your spouse that you will sit down at a specific time each month to do the budget. Cook some supper, bust open a bottle of wine and call it a budget date. It doesn't have to be boring, but it has to be done, consistently! Put it on the calendar and make it happen.
How to create a zero-based budget:
Write down your monthly income.
Write down your monthly expenses.
Subtract your expenses from your income
Budget until your income minus your expenses equals zero.
Check out the video below to learn more and click here to download your own Monthly Budget Planner.
Once you get in the habit of regular monthly budgeting, you will finally be in the driver's seat of your financial future. Every one of your hard-earned dollars will be put to work. Being a disciplined budgeter brings about a peace of mind that is a welcome replacement for the stress and worry of uncertainty.
If you've ever thought, we make too much money to be this stressed or wished you and your spouse could agree on how to manage your money, schedule a free planning call so you can begin to communicate and clarify your financial goals, create a plan, and take action.
Disclaimer: All written content on this site is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of Forward Focus Financial Planning, LLC, unless otherwise specifically cited. Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources and no representations are made by our firm as to another parties’ informational accuracy or completeness. All information or ideas provided should be discussed in detail with an advisor, accountant or legal counsel prior to implementation.