Setting up a Budget Binder in your home is a terrific strategy for staying on top of your finances. It should not only be a record of what is spent, but it should include your estimations for what will likely be spent in the coming year(s). This binder or manual should be a go-to for all of your questions regarding what you can afford and how long it will take to reach your financial goals.
Here’s how to create a Budget Binder:
1. Find a binder that works for you. I really like this binder, but any binder will work. I would choose one that has at least a 1″ spine width.
2. You will also want to have some tabbed dividers so that you can separate your budget binder into sections. These Removable Index Tabs are perfect to add to each section. The tabs are writable and repositionable so you can move them around or use the same one if you need to refresh the page.
3. I like to divide my Budget Binder up by months. (One section for each month of the year, January – December) In each section/month, I include a Monthly expense tracker, a Monthly budget and bill tracker, a Monthly debt payoff tracker, a Monthly reflection sheet and Month at a glance calendar sheets. In the back, I have a yearly finance goal worksheet and spending trackers.
I have created an easy to follow printable budget planner that takes the overwhelm out of budgeting! Use this planner to dream about yearly financial goals, track your bills and spending, discover what you did well, what you need to improve on and so much more! This planner will help keep you focused and ensure nothing is missed.
4. Also in the back, create a section for account information and include names of financial institutions, addresses, contact information, passwords and any other details that would be worth having at a glance.
5. You can also add pouchesto hold receipts, a page to record prices on your favorite items, or anything else that might be useful in keeping your family in the black!
There you have it! It’s that easy to set up a budget binder. Do you keep a Budget Binder? What pages do you keep handy in your family budget binder?
In today’s fast-moving world, keeping tabs on your finances is pretty darn important if you want to stay above water. But perhaps, keeping a full on budget isn’t your thing. Enter printable expense trackers: your trusty sidekick in the quest for financial proficiency.
Imagine a world where tracking your spending feels like organizing a DIY project—except this project saves you money!
These already made printable expense trackers that I have for you, come in a minimalist design so there’s no confusion on what needs to be jotted down. In this freebie, you’ll find 12 printable sheets – one for each month of the year.
These trackers are your personal finance cheerleaders, shouting “You got this!” as you track everything from groceries to that daily latte. By jotting down your expenses, you get a crystal-clear view of where your hard-earned cash goes. It’s like shining a spotlight on your spending habits—making it easier to tweak budgets and save up for that dream vacation or rainy day fund.
Going old-school with pen and paper isn’t just nostalgic; it’s smart. Writing things down makes you more mindful of your money moves. It’s like having a mini-financial coach nudging you towards smarter decisions—like skipping that impulse buy or renegotiating that subscription you forgot about.
Plus, these trackers are like a yearbook of your financial journey. Flip through and see how far you’ve come from those early days of tracking. It’s not just numbers; it’s your story of financial growth and savvy choices.
Best part? These trackers won’t cost you a dime. They’re like the best DIY project ever—free, fun, and oh-so-rewarding. Just download, print, and let the financial adventure begin!
So, whether you’re plotting your escape from debt or aiming to stash away for that epic road trip, grab these printable expense trackers and make managing money as fun as finding a hidden treasure map. Your financial future will thank you for it!
Setting a budget is one thing, but actually sticking to your budget each and every month is another! In today’s society, you’re constantly bombarded by temptations that can lead you away from your plan. TV commercials, an enticing “sale” sign and a beautiful store display can all tempt you to spend outside of what you can afford in your budget. Never mind that you may not like to delay gratification for something that you want today!
But, the truth is, what you decide to do today will determine your future. Having a budget in place to help eliminate debt and not consciously sticking to it, may make our lives enjoyable today, but will give us much misery in the future.
Here are some tips to make sticking to a budget a bit easier:
Set specific financial goals
Since you’ve most likely put a budget in place so you can attain financial goals, it’s important to get specific by providing numbers and deadlines for your goals. For example, instead of “My goal is to save enough for a down payment on a house”, a better one would be, “My goal is to save $2,083 a month for a 20% down payment on a $250,000 house in 24 months”. Setting specific goals gives an idea of how well or how poorly you’re doing. In turn, possibly enticing you to be more disciplined with your budgeting or allowing yourself a pat on the back!
Be realistic
In terms of goal setting, it’s important to set goals that are reasonable. Not ones that are setting you up for failure right from the start.
It’s also important to be realistic when you’re setting up your budget. Say you’ve discovered that you spend, on average, $800 a month on groceries after you’ve tallied up your receipts from previous months. Don’t decide that having a budget of $500 for groceries is “totally doable” since you have to “reach your financial goals as fast as you can because you’re so excited”. This is just setting you up for failure. I’m not saying it’s not impossible to eventually get your budget down to $500 a month, you’ll just want to work slowly, one step at a time, at reducing your monthly grocery budget.
Have accountability
Think about the last time you started a workout routine or tried to kick a bad habit; having a partner by your side, holding you accountable is crucial. Involve your family (or a very good friend) in your plan. Explain why you need to scale back on some areas, and get their input and encouragement on those things. From here, review your budget once a week with your family (or very good friend) to make sure that you’re on track. Not only is it good to have someone help keep you on track, it’s great to have someone helping you celebrate your successes!
Use cash
If you leave your debit cards and credit cards at home and only bring the amount of cash that you have budgeted, then that’s all you’ll be able to spend. So if your budget allows you $100 at the grocery store each week, then only bring $100 with you. (These printable Cash Envelopes are a fantastic tool to help you organize your cash.)
You’ll be more likely to avoid those unnecessary items that might otherwise end up in your cart. They may not seem like a big deal because they’re only a few bucks, but when you end up at the checkout with $110 worth of items, you’ll be forced to put some things back, making you prioritize and forcing you to stick within your budget. If you had your debit card with you, chances are you’d think “It’s only a few dollars”, and you’ll find yourself short at the end of the month.
Remember your goals
As you go about the daily life of living within a budget, it’s important to remind yourself often of why you’re living on a budget. Is it because you want to save enough for that winter vacation? Or maybe it’s to pay off your consumer debt. Regardless, it’s important to constantly remember your financial goals to help fuel the excitement of what’s to come, if you manage to successfully stick to your budget. It could help to write down your financial goals and carry them around with you in your wallet or purse. Every time you pull out your cash and look at those goals, you’ll be reminded of the reason you have a budget.
Reward yourself
When you divide your big goal into several mini goals, make sure you reward yourself each time you accomplish one of those mini goals. Not only will this help spur you on, you’ll also start to feel as though your big goal could definitely become a reality if you stick to it. Your reward may be as simple as a long bubble bath or a bowl of ice cream; or as extravagant as a fancy dinner out. Of course, as long as it is still within budget! Here are some great ideas to treat yourself for free.
What are the things that you do to make sticking to a budget easier? Let me know in the comments below.
Are you excited to work your way to a more organized Christmas? Today marks the first day and task in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series that I hope will be super helpful to you!
Before we get started, I have a whole bunch of printables and checklists for you to print out to help you along:
Alright, on to the first task, an important one. 🙂 This week, if you haven’t already, sit down with a hot cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate… and create your holiday budget. This is what you think your holiday season will cost and will allow you to put limits on your holiday spending to keep you from shopping regrets if a credit card bill comes your way!
Here is an extensive list of things you should keep in mind when you create your holiday budget:
Gifts:
spouse
kids
parents
siblings
nieces/nephews
grandparents
neighbors
coworkers
friends
secret Santa gift exchanges
Activities/Events/Parties:
tickets
dining out
clothing
Food (not including regular groceries):
baking ingredients
dessert ingredients
Christmas eve
Christmas dinner/brunch
Boxing day
parties
Cards:
stamps
cards/envelopes
stationary for family newsletter
photos
Clothing:
outfits for photos
parties
Christmas day outfit
Decorations:
tree
lights
ornaments/candles/wreath/etc.
craft supplies
Giving:
charities
volunteering
Now, these suggestions are just a guideline. Every family is different and has different needs. My intent is to bring to mind every possible thing that could incur an expense during the holiday season. I’m sure many of you won’t even spend money on half of these things this year. Also, in my mind, the more planning you do, the more money you will save and the saner you will feel. 🙂
As for my family, we only buy gifts for immediate family and a couple of close friends. My husband and I only exchange stockings. I make some homemade gifts as well as collect credits throughout the year so I can do some online shopping for “free”. Of course, I search for deals too. I will probably buy a few inexpensive Christmas decorations this year. This year, I’m toying with the idea of having a cookie decorating party with the girls’ friends. I think that would be fun! As for any party that we are invited to, I like to bring some baking along.
But enough about us. 🙂
If after writing down your expenses, you’re scared of the number you see, you have two options: Decrease your expenses or increase your income.
Decrease your expenses
To make a happy holiday season, you really don’t need to spend a lot of money. In fact, I’m daring to say, that being extravagant in your spending can be overwhelming not only to you, but the recipient as well. When I was a child, one set of grandparents used to be quite extreme in their gift giving. It was SO exciting, but I remember being quite overwhelmed with all the gifts once Christmas was over.
Gift giving is probably the easiest expense to cut back on. If you have a large extended family, consider drawing names so each member is only responsible for one gift. Or do what our family does and only give gifts to the children. My parents have also started to set a $20 limit on each other in recent years. Jesse and I exchange stockings.
Setting a price limit on each gift will allow you to shop within that budget. If your limit on sister Sue is $30, then that $50 purse is off limits.
It’s possible to decrease your food budget too by shopping the sales and limiting the baking and Christmas dishes you prepare.
When it comes to decorations, why not create some memories by making some homemade decorations? (I’ll be featuring some ideas in a few weeks) Or read my Fond, Frugal Christmas Memory post for a fun Christmas tree idea.
Increase your Income
If decreasing your holiday expenses is not an option, then consider increasing your income. Many retailers hire for the holiday season (and may offer an employee discount!).
A couple of other ideas are to:
Sell extra baking to those that may not have much time to create their own.
Sell unwanted household items for cash (make room for new stuff too!)
What are your tips for staying on budget at Christmas time?
Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist! This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. You’ll also receive a weekly email with each week’s “task”.
It’s a brand new year. A time when we all have an excitement for a fresh start. A time when we decide we’re finally going to get our act together. We start out great, but then we tend to get tired over time and go back to our old ways. Getting financial situations back on track rank high on the “fresh start” list.
Below I’ve listed a bunch of ways to make saving your hard earned cash easier and way less painful!
Set up automatic deposits
Have your bank move a set amount of money automatically into your savings account each month. Whether it be $50 or $500, if you don’t see the money in the first place, you’ll never miss it! And at the end of the year you’ll have a very nice amount in your savings account!
Stay home
By staying home more often, you’ll save money on gas, impulse buying and even free up precious time for the things you really want to do! Let this be a time when you encourage yourself to learn new skills such as learning to make bread from scratch, or learning to recreate your favourite restaurant meal at home, or even learning simple wood working techniques to build a shelf. Involve your children so they learn the value of being creative.
Put extra money into savings
Did you receive a bonus at work? Or a cash gift from Grandma? Why not put it all, or a portion, into your savings account? Since the money was unexpected in the first place you shouldn’t miss it once it’s safely away in savings. Just resist the urge to spend it right away on something that caught your eye if you’ve got some financial goals you’d like to accomplish.
Once you’ve finished paying a big bill, put that money into savings
Did you just finish paying off a car loan? Pretend you haven’t paid it off yet and put that same amount into savings or onto another debt. Be your own bill collector.
Shop for things you need, not for recreation
Recreational shopping used to get me in lot of trouble. I would shop when I was bored. I’d also wonder why I was never saving money and why I never had time to do the things I really wanted to do, like read a book! Once I stopped treating my boredom with shopping, I discovered the things I really needed to buy were essentials and I discovered ways to occupy myself that made life more meaningful. I stopped cluttering my house up with useless stuff too!
Shop with a “frugal” friend
If you have a tendency to overdo it during your shopping trips. take along a trusted friend that has a more frugal mindset then yourself. Nothing like a sensible person to reign in your personal spending habits!
Have you got any more recommendations on how to painlessly save money? Let me know in the comments below!
If you are struggling with getting your budget under control, then you’ll want to download this free monthly budget form!
There are spaces to add your income and expenses, a place to record your savings goals (for example, if you are saving up for a vacation, you can write down your progress each month), and a place to write down any notes related to your spending. Having everything on one sheet of paper should be helpful for you!
To get a copy of this free monthly budget form, simply click here or on the image below:
