Learn how to budget — painlessly and successfully
Budgeting doesn’t have to be an ugly word. Check out some tips on pain-free budgeting to become the master at managing your finances.
- What is a budget?
- Why budget?
- How to create a budget
- Setting financial goals
- Budgeting tips
Budgeting basics
A budget is your most powerful tool for managing your spending habits. With a budget you can see how much money you have coming in and what monthly expenses are going out.
It gives you an overall financial picture that you can measure against your financial goals, and helps you know what you can afford to put away for retirement, emergency funds, or to save for the trip or boat that may feel out of reach.
Seeing your financial picture will give you the confidence to make positive decisions toward meeting your goals, and make it easy to see where you can make adjustments.
6 reasons to have a budget
Focus on your goals
Most anything is within reach with the right goals and a realistic timeline. Your budget is where you align your finances to your goals.
Know where you are at
Know how you are doing in relation to your goals, so you can make tweaks to your budget to keep on track, or even reach your goals sooner.
Control your spending
Figuring out your needs versus your wants might be a battle, but it can be won. Seeing your savings grow makes it all worthwhile.
Build a nest egg
The greatest benefit of a budget is helping you to save for the future. Creating a retirement fund will prepare you to enjoy life after work.
Be prepared for anything
Part of a good budget is tucking away extra funds for those one-off emergencies. Life is unpredictable. Setting aside funds simply makes sense.
Learn good habits
There are many benefits of budgeting. One you’ll notice right away is being able to recognize the habits that don’t serve you—so you can cut them out.
Get started with setting up a budget
Establish your goals
Budget planning begins with goals for the upcoming year and beyond. Establish what your hopes and ambitions are and when you want to reach them.
Examine your finances
There is no point setting unrealistically tight spending limits. Examine your household income and spending monthly and annually. How much and what type of debt do you have?
Create a monthly budget
Make a monthly budget broken into categories covering a 12 month period, including all expenses and how much you expect to spend in each month.
Align with your goals
Connect your budget to your overall financial spending and how much you expect to have at the end. How long will it take to meet your financial goals with these leftover funds.
Log your spending
Track your purchases each month in their categories and total them at month-end. Match these totals to your original estimates.
Review and revise
Measure your performance each month to your budget targets. Review your budget half way through the year and make any necessary changes.
Download your complete guide to budgeting
Get more tips and techniques for successful budgeting with our guide.
- Creating your budget
- Making budget entries
- Using your budget in your financial planning
