How & Why to budget

Well, we are one week from our roaring 20s! How is that even possible?! I am so beyond grateful with how this year has been and cannot wait to see what next year holds.

So let’s jump into this. This is a super important, and I promise not terribly boring, post that will set you up for the new year on the right foot!

Let me preface this with numbers are not my thing.  My husband is a super number dork and therefore takes care of most of the monetary needs in our family.  However, every quarter we sit down and go over our budget together.   

One of the things that we have discovered to be the most helpful is to have a digital spreadsheet of some sort.  This allows both of us to see our spendings and keep track of everything.  We use the Mint app and love it!*  It allows you to input how much you want to spend in specific categories and sends you updates when you are getting close to the end of your selected budget! Does it get any easier??  Plus, it allows you to designate a certain amount in advance to put in your savings!  Saving money is made so much easier when you don't have to think so hard about it every paycheck or month!  

At the beginning of each quarter, we sit down with our past budgets and spendings to see how we did.  Could we change how much we allot for this? Should we add more to this category? We also take into account any upcoming events or seasons. For example, at Christmas we had a larger budget for shopping than normal and in May we are going on vacation.  When you plan for these things ahead of time, you won't be as stressed when you want to buy that new bikini for vaca or that fancy four course dinner for their birthday!

Like I said, I am not a big numbers person, so before we had a sit down a couple years ago to really understand where our money was going, I had never budgeted.  I can honestly say this relieves so much stress from my mind and our relationship.  It also allows us to avoid big exaggerated discussions about needing to save money or stop buying so much in the dollar section at Target....

The great thing is you can do this is so many ways.  We use Mint.  You can use pen and paper, excel, stone and chisel.  The important thing is to understand what you are bringing in, what you are spending, and what you are putting away for that rainy day.

*This is not an add! Just something that we use and love and wanted to share!

Have you made a budget? Do you have any apps or techy things that you love/make it easier?? Let us know!