Budgeting is probably one of the most complicated concepts to wrap your head around. It's one thing to say, "spend less than you earn" but its another issue entirely to know how to get there. Having been unemployed for as long as I was, it's something we had no choice but to master. We've been working on effective money management since before we were married and we're no experts, but we have lots of experience trying out different methods and using different tools.
We're about to launch a series of articles explaining how we have been managing our money. Our aim isn't tell you "the best" way of doing things but to give ideas and insight on how one middle-class couple has been able to manage their personal finances.
This is one of Sarah's passions, and she is always looking for new tools, tricks and ideas to budget effectively, so while we will be posting our ideas, we would also love to hear yours as well. Our budget is always changing and we revise it frequently. We welcome any new ideas or methods you have that we may not have encountered just yet.
Next up: Budgeting: How to Get Started
Questions or Comments? Post them below!
2 comments:
These aren't really budgeting strategies but they're great money saving strategies!
One way we have saved money being a single income family is to meal plan. I found that by planning at least a weeks worth of meals (I do it monthly) I save at least $20 at the grocery store every week.
Cloth diapering (I know that doesn't pertain to you yet but I feel I should throw the idea out to you now! I love it!)
Breastfeeding = free! Again I know this doesn't pertain to you yet.
Setting the heater at 68 (with a baby in the house). Before the baby we set it at 65 at night and used lots of blankets and layers. During the day it was off.
Hulu for TV = free and is saving us almost $1000 a year! :)
Oh and going out to dinner with the inlaws because they pay. :)
My favorite way to keep myself from spending money is to keep spare cash in an online account. If its not at my finger tips its harder to spend it.
Keep an eye out for deals, always. One of my favorite sushi places just instituted a half price sushi deal. No doubt to entice people to come and buy the over priced entrees. Well... I took my girlfriend there for a nice sushi dinner with an appetizer or two that landed us with a 19 dollar check lol. Had a nice night out on a budget.
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