Do you love to budget? Does the idea of sitting balancing chequebooks and pouring over spreadsheets thrill you? No, probably not it does not thrill most of us. However, we all still want to be as frugal as possible and save a little money for a rainy day (or a sunny holiday) and doing so successfully does mean actually having to make a budget. But if you are one of those people (and there are many of them) who thinks that they simply don’t have the time or inclination to make a real 2015 budget there is help at hand.
How to Plan Your 2015 Budget When You Hate to Budget
Why Budgeting is So Hard
Before we get to the actual budgeting tips let’s take a look at the biggest reasons why most people dislike the idea of actually making a real budget:
The Record Keeping – Who really has time to keep track of everything they spend? Technically it is much easier to do so in the age of the smartphone and the laptop, as there are all kinds of apps and software programs available to help you in the effort. But actually remembering to do so when you have 101 other things to do as well? That is not so easy.
Reality Bites – If you do discipline yourself to take the time to track everything you spend you are likely to quickly realize what most of us do; you waste a lot of money on stuff you don’t really need. And this realization makes you feel guilty, a feeling no one enjoys. So it’s easier just not to really know exactly where every cent you make goes.
How to Plan Your 2015 Budget When You Hate to Budget
Making Budgeting Easier
So now that we know why we all dislike even trying to make a budget at all how can you actually make one work for you in 2015? Here are just a few tips to get you started:
How to Plan Your 2015 Budget When You Hate to Budget
Try the Envelope System
This is a rather old fashioned way to manage money but, with a little bit of discipline one that still works very well:
- Buy yourself a box of sturdy envelopes.
- Label each envelope with a spending category; groceries, travel expenses, kid’s pocket money, entertainment etc.
- Every time you get paid, put a set amount of money from every paycheck in each envelope. Be realistic about the amounts though or this system won’t work.
- Don’t spend any more money in each category than is actually in the envelope. Once the each one is empty you’ll have to wait until your next paycheck to spend in that category again. It can be tough at first, but it’s a great way to learn to stick to a budget.
If you really don’t like dealing with cash, a software like Mvelopes is the cyber equivalent of the envelope system and might be worth a try.
How to Plan Your 2015 Budget When You Hate to Budget
Try Shooting for Small Victories
If you don’t like to micromanage your money try shooting for small victories first. Remember that new smartphone you read about the other day that sounded so much better than the one you had but was also not that cheap? Maybe if you gave up that takeaway brekky on the way to the office every morning for a few weeks you could afford to buy it after all.
Doing this will serve two purposes. One, you’ll get a new phone and two, you will be able to enjoy the tangible results of exercising a bit more financial discipline, making the idea of trying to stick to a budget a little more appealing. We hope the above helps Plan your 2015 Budget when you hate to budget
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