I'm relatively new to the budgeting lifestyle. I have tracked 100% of my expenses for the past 14 years, but have only been doing a formal budget for the past 15 months. It's a game changer -especially helps with controlling impulse spending. In my budget I have many more categories, actually each entry has a category and a sub-category for example "FOOD/SOCIAL" and "FOOD/GROCERY" "FOOD/EAT-OUT". This is easy to manage with a spreadsheet and gives some insight into habits. Have you always budgeted or is it a recent lifestyle change, if so what caused you to start?
I love that! You can really see how you spend when you involve subcategories! I started budgeting November 2022 and I totally echo your sentiment, it has changed the game for me too. I started because I felt like I had a good salary but could never make ends meet and I was so tired of always having a credit card bill lingering month over month. I also had a friend introduce me to Dave Ramsey and hearing other people's experiences through him was so helpful in opening my eyes to my own poor spending habits and excuses!
@@amyslifestyleandbudget Dave Ramsey was a starting point for me as well ! He's right that using plastic leads to increased spending. I switched to cash and got on a monthly budget. These tips helped me drop a lot of emotional spending and impulse buying - two things I have struggled with. Glad you're working things out.
