5 Easy Steps to Create a Budget

5 Easy Steps to Create a Budget

Budgets don’t have to be hard, they just need to be customized for your needs.  Your budget can be used daily, weekly, monthly, or how ever you feel it works best for you.    Another idea that you can incorporate inside your budget is adding your bank account.   This way you can use it for a running total, instead of using a check register.  Now everything is right in once place.   No more wondering how much money you will have at the end of the week.

Your budget can be simple or fancy.    You can use color highlighting to show things that have been paid, that need to be paid by a certain date, or just customize the coding to what you need.   This makes planning for future items a breeze.

Here are 5 easy steps for making a budget and being the envy of all your family and friends! 

Step 1:

• Know all your bills and monthly payments (see my list below for ideas)
• Know how much money you have coming in & when (see my examples below)

Step 2:

• Use an Excel Spreadsheet or grab a cheap notebook from the store and make one if you don’t own Excel

Step 3:

• Start with your pay dates (the dates when you have money coming into your bank account)
• Then enter in all your bills that you will need to pay during that period.
• Don’t forget about anything that is auto drafted from your bank account.

Step 4:

• To be successful I have my budget a year out at all times.
• This way I can plan for anything I might need and I can see where I have extra money to spend.

Step 5:

• You can always update and move around your money to make it work best for you!
• I do this all the time!

 

Examples of expenses:

• Food
• Gas
• Rent
• Car Payment
• Car Insurance
• Electric
• Cable
• Cell Phone
• Water
• Trash
• Tolls
• Medical Bills – prescriptions, copays, payments
• Credit Cards
• Studen Loans
• Going out with friends
• Clothes
• Savings – Make sure to always pay yourself!
• Health Insurance
• Dental
• Vision
• Car Registration
• Pet Supplies

Please feel free to reach out and ask me questions about my budget.  I really love my budget!

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