A new month and new budget is in the horizon.
Dh made it home safe and sound last night. Good to have him home. Also good timing in that a new month and new budget is on the horizon. We aren’t quite yet where we can tally up how well we did in January, but we are close. We still have a few bills that are looming, the dentist being one of them. Our boys (aka dogs) also need to go for a nail trimming and that is something I hadn’t budgeted for but needs to be done. Then there is dh’s wallet and contents. Always something.
This year I started using a new budget binder. In the past I have tried everything from simply using a notebook to going more high tech (well, for someone my age!) and using YNAB-you need a budget. I don’t think I ever got past the first two weeks without blowing it. I am currently using the OrganizHer expense tracker by Meade. I read about it from one of the many “get out of debt” groups I’m in. The reviews were incredibly favorable so I figured I’d give it a whirl. Found a great deal on it. With shipping it was less than $9. For those interested, an overview of the binder can be found here. I am in no way affiliated with Meade, but just love, love love this binder! Pretty sure you can also find it on Amazon or Walmart, etc. If you want to give it a try without buying, they also offer some free printables although obviously the binder itself offers a lot more! The printables can be located here. In general, I’m not one to spend money on this sort of thing (I used the free YNAB to see if I’d even like it) but at this point, I can’t see continuing our journey without this budgeting tool.
Additional expenses I know we will have for February are auto tags ($142), plowing (budgeting $250), and our CPA (also $250, but hopefully less) I *think* that will cover the extra stuff. Some of our budget challenges come from our very irregular income and these extra expenses. We are trying to combat that by putting extra money in savings. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we have needed to cover extra bills or even our regular living expenses with a credit card simply because our income for that particular month was lower than expected. Since we don’t currently have a lot of wiggle room, we are only adding $50 per week to our savings. Still, it is more than we have saved in the past. I would like to pad this account with a little more once my seasonal job begins.
How do you do your budget and do you make a new one every month? I know Dave Ramsey really stresses the importance of doing this and I can see why!
Lucy
ooh…can't wait to check it out. We struggle with irregular income as well (I am salary and consistent but DH is a contractor) and I can't cover all the bills with my income. I have tried to remember irregular expenses but I always seem to either forget or they aren't when I think they are and are usually earlier than I think. Plus DH is working in Austin (I am in Denver) and we don't have a CC to pay for his hotels, supplies, etc just plain old cash, so budgeting is very important just hard.
This budget binder has been worth EVERY bit I paid for it. When it comes to budgeting, you name it, I've tried it! This thing works! I also love that it has pockets for every month so no more bills, pay stubs, etc floating around my house!