I know, it is not completely normal to look so forward to January just so I can create a new budget binder for our family. But I just love it. I love making printables, I love the organization, and I love taking care of our finances.
Just two weeks ago Scott and I were blessed to be able to fly to Utah to attend a Frugality Boot Camp. We flew out because I work for the amazing Jordan Page and I worked closely with her to make the event a success. It was a HUGE hit. It also was a wake up call for Scott and I to get our financial lives in order. You have to check out Jordan and her amazing blog! Her tips rock my world. www.funcheaporfree.com
A few of the tips / rules that really stood out to me are:
- Check-in’s Scott and I should be sitting down WEEKLY to go over our budget to make sure we are on track. This absolutely does not have to be an ordeal. You can simply talk for 3 minutes to see if you are both on track, and if not figure out how not to blow your monthly budget.
- ENVELOPES! Check this out- https://www.funcheaporfree.com/2012/08/video-of-how-i-keep-track-of-my-budget.html
- Price Match! We STILL waste so much money at the grocery store. I am bound and determined to get it under control this year. I will be using her price match methods
- Multiple Bank accounts. We should be separating out funds into appropriate accounts. Seeing a large figure in your checking account every payday gives us a false sense of security.
So based on the tips above I made a handful of new printables for our binder system.
First- I created a Check-In page for us.
Each week Scott and I will sit down at the end of the work week and quickly go over the past 7 days. We have agreed to a weekly budget for Groceries – Fuel – His Budget – Her Budget.
I also created a Number Crunch
I have filled in the left column with our Bills, their due dates what we have budgeted, and then the actual amount spent. and HOPEFULLY the EXTRA amount we will apply to the bill to pay it off. I listed the bills in order of hopeful payoff. On the right side you will see three charts and each one has a spot for our income, expenses, amount left over—THEN our groceries, fuel, and our “extra” spending allowance. We learned at the Boot Camp that we should wait three months before adjusting our pre-determined budget, so this is broken down into three month increments.
The third printable I created was the Monthly Budget
This is pretty self explanatory, but each month I will print these pages out and fill them in. HOPEFULLY as the months go on I will get to eliminate some of the debts from the list as they are paid off.
Once I figure out how to do it, I will upload the documents for you to print and use for your family!
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