Do you always feel just a few (or more) steps behind each month? Are you fed up with living paycheck to paycheck and ready to get serious about changing your finances? Are you still interested in hearing what I have to tell you even though I sound like an infomercial?
You probably already figured out that you’re not alone. But that doesn’t make it easier to fix; in fact, it might even make it harder – what right do you have to breaking out of your situation when your parents/friends/co-workers can’t?
You have every right.
Zero Sum Budgeting
For the first decade that I budgeted, every dollar of anticipated income was given a destination – rent, groceries, savings, gifts, etc. – at first so that I knew I could make ends meet and, as time went on, to know where I had extra to invest (or sometimes use on planned extras). It was a really effective system, but it had its drawbacks and limitations as well.
- Is this “zero sum” budgeting style right for you?
- Are there some tweaks that can make it exactly what you need?
- If it’s just not a good fit, what are the alternatives? Let’s talk through it.
Pretty much an envelopes system, as I spent I updated – depending upon how many purchases can be time consuming; I used Excel, because I wanted more control than any program I could find would give me, some other options are mvelops… Need to budget out several months in advance to leave room for big expenses a few months out.
How to set up – looking back on cc statements
Why I moved away from this style – time consumption (as budget got more complicated – but this shouldn’t keep you from doing it! Some ideas…) & not needing to budget so closely… what did I move to? Good to move back to with life changes
- Do you already do zero-sum budgeting? Any tips for someone just starting out?
- Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
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