How I Budget | Finances 2017

Okay. So today let's talk about money. Money money money. I'll share with you how I budget my cash. I'll just use percentages for now because I really don't want to share the exact amount of cash I have (it's not much but you can never be too careful). Also, I don't think it would help much if I use monetary value because then you would have to convert currencies. You get me? I hope so.

Let's start!

By the way, I also budget my cash bimonthly, but I converted it to a monthly chart for you. I'll go in-depth as we go on, and I hope you learn something from me.

Here's my monthly budget:



As you can see, my budget right now primarily comprises of bills, bills bills.. that's because I am fully supporting myself and living nowadays in the city is damn expensive.

My bills include my rent & utilities (electricity, water, etc), my internet plan, grocery money and whatever amount my 52-week Money Challenge is. I changed my money challenge into something more manageable and I started over, but if you'd like to learn more about it, just click the link.

Next is my allowance.. it's the second big piece because I commute and I eat out most of the time. I want to change that though, but I guess it's not really that possible these days.

Lastly is my savings. I would love for this piece to grow bigger, but right now I have to focus on my bills first. The important part is that I save consistently. I automatically save whatever extra cash I have left from my allowance or if I have any bonuses. I try not to adjust my spending with the amount of money that I have, so that I can stay within budget and learn how to live frugally.

I also use the envelope method to budget my money. Every payday I take all the cash I currently have on hand and divide them between designated envelopes. Then, I only bring the envelope I need for the day. For example, if I'm paying my bills, I only bring my bills envelope so that I only have enough cash for my bills and I don't have any cash for impulsive buys.. or if I'm going to shop for groceries, I only bring my grocery list and cash envelope so that I can stay focused on my groceries and what I really need... because I don't have extra money to use for anything else. I'll take you grocery shopping with me sometime.. maybe when I actually try out the Whole30 diet plan. We'll see.

To keep my allowance in check, I also make sure to bring only what I need for that day. If I have to pay something, I only add the exact amount I need for that expense to my daily allowance so that I don't spend extra. Out of sight, out of mind right?

For my savings, I have one that I keep in the bank for emergency purposes and there's another that I keep at home (loose change, unspent money from daily allowance..) just in case I overspend and I have no more money.. kind of like a safety net? Just to make sure I live lol. But once the next payday comes in, I "pay back" whatever amount I took earlier and then deposit that in the bank and start a new one that I keep at home. So there's like a fixed savings amount and an additional one that depends on how much extra cash I have.

These little things have helped me keep my budget in check to be honest. I am not the most disciplined when it comes to money and I have quite a few slip ups with my money and I have ended up broke (like now lol) but what's important is I get back on track as soon as I can. I mean, I have big plans for my money and I won't be able to make those plans a reality if I don't have the money.

I actually wonder how the hell my grandmother was able to handle our money so well. I never felt poor or lacking while I was growing up and I just recently discovered that life wasn't that easy when I was growing up.. I hope I'll be as good as her when it comes to managing my finances.

Well, I guess that's it, guys. Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you learn something from me. Remember that the system that works for me might not work for you, so make sure to experiment and check out other tips on how to manage your cash.

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