ryan and i have never really been the best at budgeting. i find it difficult to be really disciplined with money... it seems like every time i decide i'm going to really work at it, some surprise comes along and throws everything off. seriously, every time... but, we have decided to give it another go. as we look to one day move in to a space with a little more room to breathe than our current location, i've decided we need to 1) see how much extra we actually have that we could put towards another living space, 2) pay off some debt and 3) save, save, save.
i have been doing the coupon thing for the past year or so (thanks to my sweet mimi who clips them each week and sends them my way), but i don't really feel like i'm super good at using them. like i know people who really work the system, but i have a hard time figuring out how. any suggestions out there from people who know how to do this well?
we are following the crown budget format, mainly because they have a lot of online resources that are free. but i did wonder also if anyone out there has any other suggestions for this sort of resource? i know dave ramsey and my mom has encouraged us to try to do one of those classes forever...but it's not super practical right now for us with ryan working so much. we are pretty selective about our night's now because it's the only time we really get to be together.
so...anyway, the question is, what works for you? i know a lot of people make budgets work with no problem-what's the secret??
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I'm just getting into the coupon thing myself but this website is my go to...She is a woman at my church whos husband has been without work for 14 months and has a family of 6 to feed (mostly teens!!!)
http://www.shoppingtipsandtricks.com/Home_Page.php
Hey Sam,
Jamie and I try to budget, but then fail, try to budget, then fail again. :( We too are bad at it sticking with it. I think the key is is that you both have to be on board and encourage/hold each other accountable. Another key thing is, I tend to be the one who "watches our finances", whereas, i think it'd help if he ALWAYS knew how much we had.
But, I hear ya sister!! It's hard to stay disciplined. I am trying to stick with the couponing, but sometimes it can get discouraging b/c in the LONG run, it doesn't seem like we saved much, especially in the big picture (buying a house, paying off school loans, etc.)
but like they say..."a penny saved, is a penny earned". :)
Another thing I do is give myself a grocery budget...then use coupons, whatever I save goes into the savings account or on debt. Start a log of your savings to stay encouraged. =)
So, James and I had quite the struggle in the beginning but now have a fool proof plan. We went to a Dave Ramsey seminar - it's kind of ironic how expensive those things are - and it really helped us. BUT I can tell you the one thing that helped us most and you don't have to spend a dime. James and I follow the envelope system. We pay all of our bills (rent, phone, etc.) with online banking but we get cash out for groceries, "personal" (laundry soap, shampoo), dates, clothing, and "fun" (each of our 'allowances' - having even the smallest amount of money you can each spend however you like is such a marriage saver). We have a set budget for each of these items and separate the cash for each in different pockets in my wallet - a small accordion file folder works for this also. Here's the beauty of cash - you cannot go over budget. Once the money is gone, it's gone. Also, Dave Ramsey says that studies show you spend 20% less when you pay with cash because of the "ouch factor" in handing it over. Now, you don't have to do this forever. A lot of families just do it for a little while to get themselves on track with a budget and then go back to debit or whatever. James and I have been doing the cash thing for over 5 years. I just have no self control when it comes to swiping that plastic. Because I do most of the shopping, I typically have the cash. Yes, you are carrying a lot of cash around but it's not as scary as you think. It helps that we take cash out every other week so it's not our whole month's budget at a time. If we did that, I think I would spend far more at the beginning of the month. Oh - the only unusual thing we don't use cash for is gas - it fluctuates so often and we get such good cash back from our gas card that we just watched how much we spent on it over time and then averaged that out to set our budget for the year. Sorry this is such a long response but the budget thing is something that James and I do really well which is shocking since I'm such an impulse buyer. That's where the "fun" money comes in. I'm always envious of how James is able to save his up when I spend it almost immediately. I blame it on my love of going out to lunch with friends.
I have to say the envelope system really worked for Paul and myself too. For the longest time neither one of us used a debit card for anything(I left mine at home so I wasn't tempted to use it.) We kept all of our cash divided up in envelopes for expences and I only took money out for something when it was time to use it(so as not to be tempted to "borrow" for something else.) Whatever money didn't get used in the envelopes after a few months usually got put towards a vacation we were saving for or something. Now we are so used to spending a certain amout a week for groceries, and certain amount for dates, etc it almost comes naturally and we can save
Another huge thing that has allowed us to save money now is, when our income grows(for whatever reason,)our spending doesn't. Our budget is basically the same as when we first got married and our income was well...pitiful..lol.
One more thing, budget for fun things too, so that you don't get discouraged and give up. Put $5 or $10 per paycheck back for clothes so that every once in a while you get to go buy a new shirt or something. Have an envelope for movie night(even if you can only put a few $ in per paycheck) You're still keeping it as an option.
Wow, that was long, but these are things that have helped us get into a routine of spending and saving.
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