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This post is about 5 EASY money budgeting tips that I use in my daily lifestyle to be a financially savvy woman.
Do you love to spend? Because I definitely do. If I could spend a million dollars a day, I totally would. Joking! Maybe not a million dollars. But let me take a minute to manifest that million dollars into my bank account.
Sounds juicy, right? Of course with a ton of effort and smart money moves, it is all possible. To become financially independent, it all starts with the basics. Yes, you guessed it right, of course, it’s B-word. BUDGETING.
If you’re a boss lady, killing it, then this blog is for you. This year is all about making smart money moves and I believe that no woman should be left behind. On top of that, I have a big bonus that you would absolutely love.
Read on, I can’t wait to share it with you.
Here are my top 5 easy budgeting tips that you could incorporate into your daily lifestyle.
1. Check Bank Account Balance
As a boss lady, you should get in the constant habit of glancing at your bank account balance at least once a day. This is very important because you can easily track your account behavior. For instance, you can quickly trace your spending, income, overcharge, overdraft, and any fraudulent activity. In addition, this habit will save you a lot of time and trouble when it comes to resolving any problems with the bank.
Also, looking at your account behavior every day will keep you in check when it comes to budgeting. You can see that you spent a certain amount yesterday and maybe keep it in check today.
2. Allow Bank Account Notification
I know that a lot of people are scared of seeing that notification pop up on their phone after impulsively buying clothes that were not in their budget. Girl, I am definitely speaking for myself lol! I would hear the DING sound notification from my iPhone and would get traumatized all the time. Then, the guilt and buyer’s remorse usually follow.
Well, that’s not the main reason you should allow notifications on your phone. Maybe a little. But you should definitely allow bank notifications in case of any fraudulent behavior. For example, when someone steals your credit card and swipes it at a gas station, you will know of the purchase immediately. Which will lead you to take the necessary course of action.
Compared to learning 24 hours later, when they have already drafted every single penny from your account. This will throw off your daily Starbucks coffee budget, right? It will be a hard pill to swallow.
3. Set Overdraft Limit
When budgeting for your hard-earned coins, it is important to set all your account safety measures first.
I don’t know about you, but I hate those overdraft fees. It happened to me once and I said never again sis. Within a day I unknowingly had over $90 in overdraft fees. How ridiculous? There went my food budget as a starving college student. Those days lol.
Since then, I set the overdraft limit for my bank to deny any withdrawal in case I don’t have enough balance.
In summary, you shouldn’t allow your account to go negative because the bank charges you an overdraft fee. It is pretty costly when it adds up.
4. Allocate Money Towards Your Savings & Expenses
One budgeting tip that absolutely saved my life is allocating money towards savings and expenses first before treating myself.
Don’t let the money sit in your account without a purpose, because guess what, it will create a costly purpose for itself. Girl, you will spend it all before you know.
Instead, at every pay period, just take a few minutes of your time to smartly budget your money to a balance of zero. Categorize your money into either bill, debt, savings, and/or personal. Nevertheless, place them nicely into different bank accounts.
For example, if you make $3,000 a month, an example budget will look like this:
The method of allocation has definitely reduced the guilt of spending. Because at the end of the day, if I decide to treat myself, I realize that I simply budgeted the money for it.
Click here to read the blog about the Loan payoff strategy using the CD Savings Method.
5. Budget Tracking
I got to say that this is the most difficult part of budgeting. We tend to start the year by keeping track of every single penny on a spreadsheet. Just to purposely ignore it by the next month. It becomes tedious, right?
I totally get it. Personally, I have tried a million budgeting methods which didn’t work. I have written every coin I’ve spent on a paper, I’ve tried spreadsheets, and even kept track of every purchase on my phone. Just to miserably fail.
Well, I came to the conclusion that I was doing budgeting all wrong. Budgeting is all about the allocation of estimated amounts. NOT TRUE AMOUNTS. Budgeting probably gets tiring for you too, because you’re focusing all your energy following every little penny.
Let me tell you the truth, IT IS NOT NECESSARY to track that $5 dollar java house coffee you spent last Thursday. It is not worth your time honey. I give you permission to STOP.
As long as you have allocated money to your bills, debt, savings, and emergency funds first, who cares about that minimal dollar amount. Not Me!
Instead, this is what you should do. The moment you receive your paycheck, go to your budgeting spreadsheet, notes, or whatever. Then, allocate your paycheck to the 4 different categories and place them immediately in the different bank accounts. The remaining personal money, nobody cares how you use it. As long as you create a rule not to dip into your savings.
Last thoughts…
Making smart money moves in now, setting a budget is now. I encourage you to allocate your money wisely and keep track of your finances. Please share this blog with your friends so that we can all grow together. #womenempoweringwomen.
Remember, I am not a certified financial consultant, but I share what absolutely works for me in real life.
I hope these 5 easy budgeting tips add value to your life and lead you to financial freedom.
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