How to Create a Good Budget
The principles that make a good budget, something you can stick to:
- Being Realistic: Being too strict is a recipe for failure.
- Making Adjustments: A budget is not set in stone, but a fluid thing.
- A Team Sport: If you live with a partner or spouse, you have to agree mutually on how to budget the financials.
- Expect the Unexpected: Keep an emergency fund, ideally 3-6 months of necessary expenses.
- Budgeting the Expected: Certain upcoming expenses need to be budgeted in advance, like property tax, holiday shopping, etc.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
No matter how little or how much money you earn, creating a monthly budget is one of the most important aspects of managing your finances. What gets measured gets managed.
Having a budget doesn't stop you from spending money the way you want it to, but works like a partner to track your spending and allocating resources to help you reach your financial goals.
The Envelope system is a way to track your variable expenses like food, entertainment, and drinks.
This method, preferably used weekly, allocates a certain amount in each category in labeled envelopes (food, drinks, movies, etc.). Once the envelope is empty, you are done spending in that category.
Follow these simple steps and start Budgeting:
- Choose the right tool (Budgeting App, Excel sheet or Envelopes)
- Gather all information like your bank and investment account numbers, user id's, and passwords.
- Make a list of all your income sources and all your expenses.
- Share the important financial and budgeting details with your partner or spouse if applicable.
It breaks down your budget categories into three broad segments:
- 50%: Essential Expenses like housing, automobile expenses, groceries, insurance, utilities, etc.
- 30%: Discretionary Expenses (Non-essential) like Dining out, entertainment, drinks, etc.
- 20%: Financial Goals including mortgage, home, and educational savings.
If there is heavy credit-card debt, the financial goals should be 30% and non-essential spendings only 20%.
RELATED IDEAS
- Gather Some Financial Information: gather a detailed list of your income and expenses.
- Select a Budgeting Method: figure out how you’ll budget your money to meet your most pressing financial goals.
- Create Your Budget: tally up all your expenses and income to see where you stand and allocate expenses.
- Execute Your Plan: you can use a notebook, pen and paper, a spreadsheet or an online software.
- Reward Yourself: you can work a small percentage into your budget to treat yourself each month.
Budget for the life you have. When you’re going through your budget and assigning spending categories, be realistic.
Don’t tell yourself you’ll never buy a single discretionary item, because you’re setting yourself up for failure. Give yourself some breathing room.
Budgets are necessary for running any business efficiently and effectively.
- Budget Development Process. Assumptions related to projected sales, trends, cost trends, and the overall economic outlook is established for the upcoming period. The budget is then published and outlines the standards and procedures used to develop it. The master budget includes forecasts of cash inflows and outflows, budgeted financial statements, and an overall financing plan.
- Static Vs. Flexible Budgets. A static budget remains unchanged over the life of the budget. A flexible budget has a relational value to certain variables, such as sales levels, production levels, or other economic factors.