I increased my savings just by avoiding using credit/debit card for the unnecessary/unplanned expenses, the ones which are not a big amount of money on their own but can add up to a few hundred bucks a month. You're more "aware" of your spending when you have physical money in your hand. Well, at least it helped me. (btw sorry for my english, it's not my mother tongue)
@@licokitty 18 years for us. We were 18 when we got married and I was 6 months pregnant; so a honeymoon just didn't seem all that important and yeah...no money for it! I guess now after all these years we are just happy with vacations with the kids and hanging out together at home. My husband does say he wants us to renew our vows and have a big reception for our 20th because our first was so small and no dancing which I wanted most of all!
1. I am building our savings by setting up a split in direct deposit instructions. I never see it so it's not part of the budget since I only budget our net pay. 2. We can't afford to max out our retirement contributions, so we increase our contributions when wages/salary increase or on a quarterly basis, even by small increments that don't eat too much into our budget. (I noticed you did not include retirement savings in your plan...that's important!) 3. Instead of making my car payments by the due date, I'm paying $32 extra principle on a 28-day cycle (which is every other bi-weekly paycheck). I also have a plan to increase my payments every 12 months by $25 so that I can reduce the term of the loan by 18 months and save almost $400 in interest. 4. We do have credit card debt to eliminate. So we transferred the debt to a no interest for 18 months card and then divided the payments by 16 months (2-month buffer for tight budgets) and put the card away until it's paid off. The transfer fee was significantly less than the interest we would have paid and the monthly payment fits into our budget more easily. It's essentially a no-interest loan if you manage it properly which provides a bit more flexibility than an actual bank loan.
I suck at budgeting but I’m married to someone who works in corporate finance, sooo... 😅 My best tip is to go back and itemize what you spend in the previous month so you can see where your money is going *other* than where you planned it would go. It’s a humbling and enlightening experience and when each person in a household does it, I’ve seen lead to better financial accountability and less bickering over money. Also, each of us has a “no questions asked” budget per month - whatever is available in the budget, if anything - so if it’s $10 or $100 per person, we can each spend ours on whatever we personally want without judging the other. Then we each get to own our “guilty” purchases and not worry about getting any sass for it. 🤗
Yes. You should open separate accounts for them so you don’t go into your bill money. Also I think your grocery money is to small. That’s only gives you $75 a week; that’s not much. With Beer, wine ,coffee purchases your money is almost gone . Also need to put money away for emergencies,, car issues etc. there is so much. Make sure you guys save all your receipts so you can log everything. Budgets are such a pain in the --... lol. But your spreads are so beautiful they make you want to do it.
Thank you! Yup, we have plans for an emergency fund. The $300 is actually based on our spending in the past on groceries! We don’t tend to drink so alcohol spending doesn’t come into it. And we’re vegan, so we eat a lot of rice/grains, veggies, and legumes which are quite affordable ☺️
Best tips I ever received that work: -Pay yourself first. Make the deposit into your savings or retirement automatic so you don't have to mess with it each pay period or month. -Always pay more than the minimum monthly payment. Rather it's credit card debt, a school loan, a vehicle loan, or a mortgage. All the extra can be applied to the principal and speeds up the process of eliminating that bill and will save you money on interest.
I had a separate bujo style book for my budget and used it for 2 years, I had a calendar to mark the expenses (visual aid) and separated my expenses by paycheck, that way I knew what came out every 2 weeks, when I was setting up my third year i had been using a bujo as my planner and just decided to ad the budget section to my monthly set up, that way I get to SEE it every day and check on it.
Oh wow, that sounds awesome and so organized! 😍 What kind of layout do you include in your monthly? Just the budget? Do you include spending trackers or anything else?
@@PlantBasedBride I have one spread where I keep the calendar (small one now) and color code the expenses. On the opposite side is the actual budget. The next spread is a side by side of my paychecks with the bills that get paid with each and last a spread for tracking my account movements. I also have a spread at the beginning of the bujo for my cash envelopes sinking funds. Each month I take cash out and put them in separate categories. Originally I had also spreads for my debt pay off but those were taken care off the first year and in only have my car now. I try to look at my accounts and my budget numbers every day. It's one of the habits i track. I love what you said about having a buffer and definitely going to follow that advice!
This is so useful! I still live with my parents since I still can't afford to move, but I want to save up for my own apartment and this is super helpful. Adulting is really hard.
My boyfriend and I are moving in together in September and neither of us are great with budgeting. This is a super good idea. I might set us up a joint budget notebook as well
This is amazingly helpful. It seems like the majority of spreads tend to cater to students, and as someone in her thirties, spreads like this are so much more useful. Really appreciate the ideas here. I think my husband and I will try them!
I’m so glad you liked them! Yeah, as a working and married adult who shares finances with another human, most spreads I’ve seen haven’t really for my lifestyle. I’m hopeful that these will work for us ❤️
Every month I have a spread with what I'm expecting to spend, (automatic payments, estimates of various expenses) and a $100 buffer, and then I treat that money as "spent" in my checking account. As the bills get paid or the money gets spent, I check them off in the spread. I check my balance daily, add up all of the un-checked-off items, then then subtract that number from the number in my account, and THAT is what I record in my bullet journal as my account balance. I used to be in a constant state of worry and chaos because I was never sure how much money I actually had, vs how much money was still in my savings account. This way, I have a much more realistic view of what's going on.
Tips I've picked up: once paid, take out 10% of your check and put it in a savings account you can access but has a limit for the amount of transactions you can take out. I have 2 accts a Bill's and Personal, 2 savings account. I keep track of Bill's in my bujo, each check I see which Bill's are due and put that amount with a $30 buffer so I wont accidentally spend bill $. Personal is used for groceries, gas etc. One savings is my ER fund, the other Savings is "Back ups" which I put my 10% in. Both savings are connected to each checking account. I have a savings/cash back plan where everytime I make any transactions $1 goes into the savings account its attached to. It really adds up! I also have $25 automatically deposit into my ER savings out of each check. I do use a envelope savings for small goals like saving for a new bed, or printer.
This is an interesting idea. How has it worked out over the months of Jul - Sep (Q3)? Maybe you could film a "check-in" on this financial budget next month or so and share how it has worked/not worked for you and your husband? Thank you for sharing this!
My top money management tip: If you want to get out of debt and become debt free, you ought not have credit cards. It's counter productive (and dare I say counter intuitive) to your goal of becoming debt free.
I unsubscribed from emails that contain announcements of sales or new items coming to the stores. These will only make me want to spend. Also, I keep a list of wants that I can come back to reassess if I still want to buy the item listed.
I think the most important thing is budgeting your usual monthly expenses like rent, phone, bill, groceries, etc first. I don't use credit card because it's hard to get credit card in my country, but I think if you use one, you should also make a budget for it. After you finished budgeting for credit card, daily necessities, emergency funds, I usually make budget for my weekends. When I go out on weekends, I should only spend like for example maybe $50, which means it's $50 x 4 weeks = $200 When somehow I can't control myself on the 1st or 2nd week and spend more than my weekly budget, then I reminded myself that by weekend 3 and 4, I can't go out at all because I don't have any more money to use. It's also good to make like 30% into saving, another 30% investment (although I haven't tried this one, I'm still thinking what kind of investment that works best with me) My brother always told me to invest our money because it's better to invest it on something rather than just let it sit on our bank account (or spend it on things that you don't need) I also like to make a wishlist for things that I want. I watched another video and it's really a good idea, how we must decided if we "need" it or we only "want" it. Whenever I bought clothes or shoes, I reminded myself that it could last for a long time, so even if it looks expensive, when we divided the full price (maybe $500 for 12 months, in the end it's actually cheaper because we can use it for a long time), and this bad feeling that if feel like I just bought something expensive isn't there anymore lol. What could help most I think maybe if we got something that we really want, like having a trip to some place, or wanting to buy own house, marriage, or any idea that needs a lot of money, it could be like a reminder that, rather than spending our money on things that only make us happy for a moment, we can save it for that one big things that last for a long time...? I also try to make a weekly tracking, to see what I usually spend my money on weekly (usually books, or snacks for me). I also try to make a diagram by the end of the month to see what I spend on that month, reminding myself not to spend as much money on certain unnecessary category (which is still hard). In the end I think we have to try many types of budgeting until we can find one that fits us the most, because each person have a different way of handling money 😅
Your brother is right. You need to pay yourself first by putting money into a retirement fund. 401k etc. you need to think about the future too. When you reach retirement age like me,, I’m 62. I needed to retire early some medical issues but social security is not enough, I have my 401k to help out. If I didn’t I wouldn’t know where I’ll be. And I worked my whole life making more than $80,000 a year. If I knew then I would have put more away.
One thing I've always done was track my bank account in a tiny composition notebook. I never kept up a checkbook, the little notebook works better, and over the last year or two I've started assigning budget categories colors, and highlighting each expense over the month and adding it all up. It's a really great way to see how much you spend eating out, as an example. Plus pretty colors!
Hey! Do you think you could an update video on how these have been working for you guys? I'd be really interested to know if you added more spreads or if you have any other financial management tips! Thank you so much for your videos ❤️ they are super helpful!
Thanks so much for the book recommendation! I've recently started to budget on my bujo as well and it helped me wonders. For me, what helps is having a monthly spread where I put the fixed expenses (expected and real), and also weekly expenses (again with expected and real). Then, based on the weekly budget, I set what is my daily budget, and write down every single expense I have everyday. That helps me to have a daily sense of urgency towards my money, and cutting down on expenses some days if I had bigger expenses in others. I really love your videos with useful spreads, you do such a great job?
This is excellent. Unfortunately, some of us live paycheck to paycheck but we can still track how our paycheck gets gobbled up by basic rent, food and insurance. Thank you for explaining each page. I’m new to Bujo and I love it so this is a great addition.
I am newer to your channel. I love your book and journaling content so much! I am an obsessive budgeter. For me the biggest game chargers are have super clear and specific goals with dates attached to them. Track them in your budgeting book/planner. Then my other big thing that is so motivating is to actively track your networth from month to month. It gives you the best total financial picture.
Thank you for this great budgeting idea. This will help me with my monthly finances. I get too complicated with my excel spreadsheet and I don't attain my goal.
Transparency is key with finances. Aja Dang and Cindy LaTruce RU-vid channels have been super helpful to my journey so far. Having a subscription page helped me get a clear picture of where my money was going each month. Now it's considerably less. I like the idea of a finance journal...my dets tend to get lost in my bullet journal when trying to reference regularly. 👌🤔📚💙💚💙
Oof. Am a few years into getting my life together and everything is a million times harder than I think it is. Always. No wonder the business for life coaching is being predicted to grow exponentially. Just keep going...
I was using on on-line budgeting app but, in reality, it was just too much trouble for me. I am trying to keep everything in one place…my bujo…and this looks very practical and not overly difficult. I have some definite OCD tendencies, and budgeting seems to bring them out in me, so I need to keep it as simple as I can. I haven’t found where you have updated how this has worked for you, but I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing this.
I made a bills spread with the month initials across the top and the name of each bill on the right. Underneath each month, there's an open circle for each bill (and a number in the circle for which day of the month that bill is due). I fill in the circle when I've paid that bill. I put the amount on the right-hand side. This also works for those once-a-year expenses like my Prime subscription, so I won't be surprised by it again next January (like I have been every January so far), and my car registration due date. It's a simple checklist that means I'm not trying to remember each month.
I also make graphs for "Savings" and "Debts". I color code them by account (debts) and by goals (savings). It's really encouraging to see my savings grow and my debt slowly die. I made both line graphs and bar graphs--I black out the bar graphs as I tackle debt, and fill in the savings like one of those fundraiser thermometers.
Top tip for me: create a nut budget. This will really include all your expenses as well as savings goals. That way you do end up saving money because it's a required monthly expense that is just as important as paying your bills, mortgage or student loan. My husband and I also share all our finances, so this is the way I was able to finally organize my finances after 10 years of trying different methods, stupid spending in my 20s and being in school for 9 years. I'm enjoying going through your older videos. Thanks for this consistent content and all the great topics you talked about in the past.
I liked the spreads. Easy to use! I have tried so many times to budget in my bujo, but I find it hard to make a good spread. Definitely trying this one!:)
@@PlantBasedBride hi can i apply this method if i am a teen i make money online but i dont pay rent and stuff like that i only use thw money i earn to save for university and to buy stuff i need
My budgeting isn't great, I spend way too much money on food! However, I normally have a month or two of a buffer in my savings (I just got married a few weeks ago so I am currently building that back up!) Don't expect savings to happen magically! I treat the money that goes into my savings as a bill, I have a standing order for it to go into my savings account at the same time I am paying my health insurance and phone bill. The rest of the money in my account is all mine, to waste as I will, new notebook, stationary, books, snacks? Yup that's when I get bad with money and the last 10 days of my pay cycle suck, but I have my savings! :)
Obviously this vid is 2 months old by now but I just wanted to say THANK YOU. I never related more than to you sucking with money even though your parent is an accountant. I feel that everyday. Can't wait to do a similar set up for my boyfriend and I :)
So useful!! My boyfriend and i are currently trying to budget, getting our first jobs and work freelance. Id love a video about your lives as freelance workers. This has been so informative, thank you!!
Plant Based Bride maybe whatt type of jobs you do, if you use any website, how to create a client base (i dont know how you say that in english), and maybe something like a routine of work from home...
I am participating in One Book July and one of the specific areas I am focusing on is finances. I decided to kind of do a One Book July in reverse. Meaning I always have done my bujo literally as one book with everything in it, but instead what I am doing this month is deconstructing my bujo. I have created an insert to house my financial planning and also a separate insert for health & nutrition. I love to journal/draw/create in my bujo and that isn’t something I need to fix or change, so I didn’t want to leave out that space and decided for July to use one more insert for that, plus I still wanted my monthly views and a future months type space so I also have a thin planner I was able to insert that in my travelers notebook cover that is housing these 4 separate items. So far having financials broken out and apart from my usual one ☝️ bujo is working. I feel pretty confident what I will do in August is buy a journal like you have done and keep that separate just for financials.
I'm budgeting with an app for about 6 years now and I love to go back and compare how much my spending changed already in my 20s (I'm 26). I started to write down a monthly review of my finances in my bullet journal, but now I'm considering getting a dedicated finances journal like this (as I'm paranoid to lose all the data that is in the app). Like, detailled info into the app, overall amounts and financial goals/ savings into the journal 🤔
My husband and I are in our mid 30's and are 100% debt free. We own our home and 3 cars, have 3 children and a small hobbies farm. We have one income and I handle all the finances as I'm more naturally drawn to and good at it. In the beginning of our 18 years of marriage we didn't have much. We were married and had our first baby at 18. We use the resources available to us and had a good deal of help from family while we went to trade schools, but we also traded off one worked while the other went to school. Somewhere along the way we found ourselves done with school, both working and $10,000 debt on a credit card. That's when I put on the breaks and got us back in line. But that's not a huge debt coming out of school. Within a year we were back on track had no Credit Card debt, had bought a house and had 2 car notes. By the time we were 31; we had become debt free and this is how. 1. Sinking Funds were the first element we use to handle our budget 2. Use credit cards the right way...only spend what you have in the bank and pay off in full every month, and enjoy the convenience, rewards points, and the shiny nice credit score!! 3. The 70% 20% 10% budget rule. 70% all living expenses 20% savings and investments 10% give back to God/Jesus I came across this through a youtuber named Jordan page with funcheaporfree and it totally works great for us! 4. When getting a loan for a car, ect. Be sure you are able to pay double the minimum payment every month or the car is too expensive. This prevents overspending and pays of the loan faster and gives your credit score a boost. You really can't get a loan for a new house or car if you don't have credit. Or save all the money up front and still take out a loan and just pay it off with in a year. I just love having good credit! 5. Save up to where you are able to use your monthly income from 4 months ago to pay for this month. Then you're better able to budget with actual income and if life happens i.e. covid, job change, job loss, medical illness, someone dies...I know that was harsh but its always a possibly. This way you still have 3 months worth of money to work with until you can figure out your next move. Nothing suck more than having a pile of bills you can't pay and feeling lost and stressed...am I right. Anyways I'm not a budget professional Guru, but I do pretty well with mine and these are my experiences to my debt free life. Best of luck to you and God bless you all! Thanks for sharing your spreads are really beautiful!
Maybe this stuff will be worth looking at more next year when my budget loosens up (theoretically). Right now it's like down to one Q: Do I really need this / have to? Y: well then I have to (insurance, electricity, candy for students ...) N: then maybe some day, but not any time soon (streaming service, internet, cable, travel outside the state, furniture) It would only bring me down to track this repetitively.
I really love this idea. I've been trying to figure out my budget as well, but haven't quite managed to stick to it. I think this kind of thing would certainly help! And you can bet I'll be checking out that Financial Diet book. Out of curiosity, in which section would you budget repayment of debt on your actual budget page? Is it considered savings, or a fixed or variable expense?
Really loved this video. I've watched it three times as I was setting up mine. Here I recommend Cait Flander's book, The Year of Less. It is a book that introduces her experience of "shopping ban" and I think in today's excessive, never-ending spending culture, it serves a sober reminder to us on what really matters in life and what truly makes us happy.
I've decided to start using a second bullet journal for university so that I can keep my current one more of a personal/mental health journal. While I consider financial planning/budgeting a personal goal, it seems like it would better fit the structure of my student journal. If it was your choice, which of the two journals would you put your financial planning spreads into?
Hey, wondering if you maybe could make a video where you buy things to bullet journal with at cheap websites?? (cheap websites that ship internationally) I went to the only art store I know of in my erea, and for washi tapes and the pens i wanted, I have to pay up to 135 usd.
I didn't even realized how "old" this video is until I specifically went looking for it and not finding it in recent videos. 2020 really screwed all sense of time for me LOL Question!!!: did this work for you and your husband? Was it useful to create savings and such?
Oh that’s another thing I don’t have a credit card and what I find completely hilarious is I used to have one for up to $300 and Five years into having that credit card and always paying it off on time or just paying the whole thing upfront I asked to get you know it raised to 500 and then they told me that I wasn’t approved for any credit cards and they did not give me a new card when that card expired which I don’t care I actually was teetering more so to not having a credit card at all just because of the interesting it’s always ridiculous and that’s why I would always pay it as soon as possible if I could pay the whole thing at once so yeah I don’t have any credit cards and I don’t have any debt all my student loan’s was paid off because the school I went to Was charged with fraud or some thing so they had to give us back our loan money or the bank back the loan money and I didn’t have to pay for anything so debt free credit free I buy my cars in cash I’m living the life LOL
Ew LOLI have had a green dot chime card for so long that I have forgotten that you get charged if they decide to charge your card when you don’t have money then decline it! You know what I mean I don’t care what I’m doing Embarrass me at the grocery store I don’t care I am not paying 35 extra dollars just because you decided that I was definitely going to pay for that… If chime can keep track of my money fast enough to not overcharge me and when my account is 0 it’s 0 it doesn’t go in the negative then why can’t a bank that gets paid at least $12 a month to manage my bank account not be able to stop in overdraft... sorry if it might be confusing in some areas Siri sometimes doesn’t understand me and will write things completely different so far my favorite is me saying bullet journal and it actually coming out as Bull internal lol
