Hanna – You’re not alone, believe me! Getting started with a budget, or just about anything challenging for that matter, is usually tough. Here are two ideas that may help.
The first one you already mentioned: accountability. It will help a lot of someone else you know wants to start using a budget. You can spur each other on.
Second, make sure you have some motivating reason to use a budget. Using a budget is not a goal anyone is excited about. But when the use of a budget will get you somewhere you want to be — out of debt, on a special vacation, etc. — then doing the work required of a budget is more appealing. So, come up with something you really want that using a budget will help you get.
Matt, I try and try to get on a budget…but can’t seem to start….I do great for about a week or so…and then needed items come up that need to be purchased and I am out of money..so out comes the card….I am really desperate to start something and be accountable to someone about this….
Love your website…encouraging….but have not started.
Matt, I absolutely agree with your point that a spending plan provides wonderful freedom. It’s also a useful tool for clarifying a person’s or a couple’s values in life, for our values are expressed in our choices of spending, saving, and giving. Something I’ve often heard from you and from others is worth repeating in this context: A valid spending plan includes both (A) a written listing of income and outgo categories and amounts and (B) a tracking (accounting) mechanism to ensure that one follows the plan. This needn’t be a complex thing–even a very simple spending plan can do the job well. I hope more people will come to experience the freedom that such a plan provides!
Hanna – You’re not alone, believe me! Getting started with a budget, or just about anything challenging for that matter, is usually tough. Here are two ideas that may help.
The first one you already mentioned: accountability. It will help a lot of someone else you know wants to start using a budget. You can spur each other on.
Second, make sure you have some motivating reason to use a budget. Using a budget is not a goal anyone is excited about. But when the use of a budget will get you somewhere you want to be — out of debt, on a special vacation, etc. — then doing the work required of a budget is more appealing. So, come up with something you really want that using a budget will help you get.
Matt, I try and try to get on a budget…but can’t seem to start….I do great for about a week or so…and then needed items come up that need to be purchased and I am out of money..so out comes the card….I am really desperate to start something and be accountable to someone about this….
Love your website…encouraging….but have not started.
Dan – I love an honest answer!
What holds me back from using a budget? Not wanting to face the reality that I’m spending too much on frivolous items (Ebay, Books, Comics, etc.)
Matt, I absolutely agree with your point that a spending plan provides wonderful freedom. It’s also a useful tool for clarifying a person’s or a couple’s values in life, for our values are expressed in our choices of spending, saving, and giving. Something I’ve often heard from you and from others is worth repeating in this context: A valid spending plan includes both (A) a written listing of income and outgo categories and amounts and (B) a tracking (accounting) mechanism to ensure that one follows the plan. This needn’t be a complex thing–even a very simple spending plan can do the job well. I hope more people will come to experience the freedom that such a plan provides!