From the article: Monthly Budget
Budgeting can be a tricky process. Read and share budgeting tips. These can be money saving tips or tricks that help you stay on budget. Share Your Budgeting Tips
Grocey/shopping list
- If you're going shopping, especially grocery shopping, always have a list,and stick to what you have on the list. I always write a list, but sometimes, I'll get more than what I planned on. It's really about self-control. Once you do this, you'll really start seeing your money stack!
- —Guest Tyler
Really?
- Question: so every two weeks (or for us it would be every week) I have to go to the bank and withdraw money from my paycheck that was directly deposited? Seems kind of inconvenient . . . .
- —Guest Mary
On Benefits (Social Security)
- The only thing that saves my *** is to buy prepaid grocery store gift cards for $50 a month. Or Walmart gift cards. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me, so that I'm not starving at the end of the month!
- —Guest Melody
stop paying interest
- pay all credit card and phone bills right away. it's better to have a balance of zero on both your savings account and your credit card because of interest rate the bank gives you on your savings account is about 2% while the average credit card interest rate is about 18% Ask your self what's the use of making 2% when your paying out 18% ?
- —Guest double ray
Allowances!!
- I agree with tmck99. I would literally give out of money with two weeks til payday until I started giving myself allowances. If I go over allowance, I record it in my checkbook as negative. That really makes me think about what I'm spending. Also keep a ledger for one month--I found out that fast food was taking WAY more of my money than I wanted it to. :)
- —Guest Liz
Give yourself an "allowance"
- It seems like allowances are only for kids, but once I started giving myself a weekly allowance in cash (I called it "fun" money) it was easier to stick to a budget.
- —tmck99
Work as a Couple
- My budget wasn't working because my husband and I would both spend money out of the same category without talking to each other about it. Once we started having five minute nightly budget meetings that stopped, and now we are able to stay on budget. The meetings make all of the difference!
- —Guest Sarah
Stop Using the Credit Cards
- I kept using my credit cards for the rewards, but it wasn't until I stopped using them that I was able to stay on budget. Once I realized I could overdraw if I overspent, I was able to keep track of everything.
- —Guest Dave
Use Cash
- The easiest way for me to track my expenses is to use cash for my clothing, groceries and fun money. This way I don't keep going over each month.
- —Guest Stephanie
