Using a monthly budget is one of the best ways to manage your money and stick to your long term financial goals. But using and sticking to a monthly budget can be overwhelming. Which is what I want to help you conquer today! I am sharing my best advice for using a monthly budget. And as a bonus I am also sharing a free printable monthly budget that you can use. So keep reading for these monthly budget tips and tricks and scroll to the bottom for the free printable.
Learning to use a budget and stick to a budget is some of the best things you can do for bettering your finances. It is completely worth it to spend some time learning how to rock your monthly budget and hopefully these tips will help you with achieving that.
So let’s jump into these monthly budget tips and tricks and of course the free printable monthly budget you can start using!
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Monthly Budget Tips and Tricks
Free Printable Monthly Budget!
Tip 1: Assign a day of the month to set up your budget.
This tip is so essential for actually sticking to your monthly budget. Actually assigning a specific date of the month works better than generally tying to do it at the beginning or end of the month.
For example, rather than just generally doing it at the start of the month (because what if that lands on a busy Saturday?) try setting a specific type of day. For me I like to do it the last Monday of the month before. That way I always know that I will have time and can easily make it a routine and habit to update and check oln my monthly budget.
Tip 2: Use your credit card to get details.
A lot of us struggle with knowing where we are spending all of our “fun” money. And in reality, it tends to just be little things that gradually add up!
So in order to A) properly budget that spending and B) reign in that spending it is important to know what those little things are.
And thankfully your credit (or debit) card app/reports can help you get that information. Also, staying on top of knowing what things you are spending money on can help encourage you to be more aware of what you are spending on. Which can result in less casual spending!
Tip 3: Be prepared to accept changes.
Life happens! Which means that expenses change- they can get bigger or smaller and that happens.
And being prepared for some changes is so essential to staying on track financially.
So try to give yourself some cushion room and more than anything, be emotionally prepared for there to be some changes in your budget even in the middle of the month.
Tip 4: Check your budget before making large purchases.
This is another tip that is going to be really important for your long term finances.
When you are about to or just looking to make a larger purchase (such as electronics, furniture, even a car) make sure you consent with your monthly budget.
Make sure you have the money left to pay essentials and check what a realistic budget for this large purchase is based on your other monthly expenses.
Tip 5: Keep an eye on reoccurring charges.
This budgeting tip can be so helpful for helping you save money.
We have all (or at least most of us) have experienced a reoccurring charge significantly increase their price. Streaming services are notorious for this but lots of other subscriptions and services will do this too.
So keep an eye on that- if something increases notable it could really impact your budget so make sure you are looking for those reoccurring charges.
Tip 6: Involve anyone in your household that spends money.
If you live alone and no one else shares any kind of finances or financial responsibilities with you then ignore this tip.
But if you have a spouse/partner that you are financial intertwined with, kids, and even roommates it’s important to involve them to some level with the budget.
Communication is super important for keeping your finances in line and on track. So at minimum show them the budget but ideally get them involved so they can help with keeping things on track.
Tip 7: Don’t forget about fun spending.
Fun spending is important! I would never tell anyone not to budget for fun or try not to have any fun for a month. That is how people burn out and go crazy!
You can absolutely have fun and still stick to a monthly budget. So just look at what you normally spend in a month on fun or entertainment and then average that out so you can include it in your monthly budget.
Tip 8: Set financial goals if you haven’t yet.
Financial goals are another tool that is so important for your long term financial success.
I recommend checking out a financial goals journal (like this one!) for helping you set and stay on track with your financial goals. And don’t forget to keep those goals visible while you are setting your monthly budget every month. This will help you make monthly budgets that assist you with achieving more long term financial goals.
Now that we have covered these monthly budget tips, it’s time for you to download and print this free printable monthly budget!
Below is the PNG and then below that is the link to the PDF so you can print (or just download) whichever works the best for you.
Click here to download the PDF!
Korra-Shay
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