For most of us, spending our money is way more fun than budgeting our money.
We view budgeting as something we have to do and spending as something we get to do. We equate sticking to a budget with responsibility, while we look at the act of spending money as frivolous. But, maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.
What if we rethink how we view the acts of spending and budgeting our money? Maybe those two opposing forces are actually much more related than we think. This is the notion presented by none other than financial guru Dave Ramsey himself. He reminds us that budgeting is actually just planning out the spending you’re going to do, and then sticking to it.
“When you see that a budget is simply spending your money with intention, you’ll actually experience more freedom than before. Many people even say they’ve found ‘extra’ money when they created a realistic budget and stuck with it.” – Dave Ramsey
That’s an empowering thought, right?
Dave also lays out ten simple pointers to help you do your first budget or to revamp your current one. For example, he says, “every month is different (think birthdays, vacations, car insurance, back-to-school supplies) so be sure to adjust your budget monthly.” If you think you could benefit from some of these great budgeting tips, click here to read Dave’s full article.
You might also benefit from some great online tools.
One free budgeting app is Wally. The idea behind Wally is that we all need the right tool to manage our personal finances. Check it out here. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use budget template (think Excel-style), check out this one free one from Google. Above all, remember that you have the power to take control of your finances, and now you have the tools to help you get started!
If you like what you read in this article, leave a comment below.