{"id":7581,"date":"2018-09-01T03:30:21","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T09:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/?p=7581"},"modified":"2019-01-03T18:49:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T01:49:56","slug":"start-budgeting-adult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Finally Start Budgeting Like an Adult"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Today we have a guest post from Ashley of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.budgetsmadeeasy.com\/\">Budgets Made Easy<\/a>. Ashley was able to pay off $45,000 in 17 months and now teaches people how to pay off their debt.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So&#8230; you&#8217;ve decided you want \u2013 or maybe need \u2013 to finally start budgeting. It&#8217;s one of the first steps toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/how-to-adult\/\">handling your money like an adult<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Budgeting can be a little tricky at first. It takes some time to learn&nbsp;how to set up a budget and then stick with it!<\/p>\n<p>I had a budget for a long time, but it wasn&#8217;t until I started a zero-based budget that I was able to pay off my debt and save up six months worth of expenses for my emergency fund.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_49 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Jump to...<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-647a0cf2c20a7\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-647a0cf2c20a7\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-visibility-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#What_is_a_budget\" title=\"What is a budget?\">What is a budget?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#What_is_a_zero-based_budget\" title=\"What is a zero-based budget?\">What is a zero-based budget?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Can_I_still_have_fun_when_doing_a_budget\" title=\"Can I still have fun when doing a budget?\">Can I still have fun when doing a budget?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#So_how_can_I_budget_like_an_adult\" title=\"So how can I budget like an adult?\">So how can I budget like an adult?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Step_1_Figure_out_your_income\" title=\"Step 1: Figure out your income\">Step 1: Figure out your income<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Step_2_Figure_out_your_expenses\" title=\"Step 2: Figure out your expenses\">Step 2: Figure out your expenses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Step_3_Be_Intentional_with_what_is_left\" title=\"Step 3: Be Intentional with what is left\">Step 3: Be Intentional with what is left<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Tips_for_sticking_to_the_budget\" title=\"Tips for sticking to the budget\">Tips for sticking to the budget<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Do_I_need_a_budget_when_I_have_a_low_income\" title=\"Do I need a budget when I have a low income?\">Do I need a budget when I have a low income?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#What_if_I_don%E2%80%99t_want_to_deal_with_a_budget\" title=\"What if I don&#8217;t want to deal with a budget?\">What if I don&#8217;t want to deal with a budget?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#What_if_I_screw_up_the_budget\" title=\"What if I screw up the budget?\">What if I screw up the budget?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_budget\"><\/span>What is a budget?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A budget is simply writing down your income and expenses. It&#8217;s that simple.<\/p>\n<p>You can add due dates.&nbsp;You can compare projected versus actual expenses. You can do a monthly, weekly, or even a bi-weekly budget.<\/p>\n<p><b>The key is to write it down&#8230;<\/b>&nbsp;Especially when you are just starting one. Once you get the hang of it, you can move to a spreadsheet or app. But first, I recommend you write it down with old-fashioned pen and paper.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_zero-based_budget\"><\/span>What is a zero-based budget?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daveramsey.com\/blog\/zero-based-budget-what-why\">zero-based budget<\/a>&nbsp;is based on the idea of budgeting every single dollar. It is more efficient than just a regular budget because it gets every dollar working for you.<\/p>\n<p>Before I would do a zero-based budget, I would budget my money and have so much left over for food, gas, and whatever else we wanted.<\/p>\n<p>The problem was that the&#8221;leftover&#8221; money that was just didn&#8217;t go toward any goals. It just disappeared because I wasn&#8217;t intentional about where it went.<\/p>\n<p>A zero-based budget is being intentional with every dollar you earn.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_have_fun_when_doing_a_budget\"><\/span>Can I still have fun when doing a budget?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Of course you can!<\/p>\n<p>You just budget for fun stuff. You may have to cut back on a few things here and there depending on your goals, but you still get to have fun.<\/p>\n<p>The best part about having a budget is that you get to have fun without feeling guilty. If you budget for it and pay cash for it, there is no need for guilt.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t have to worry about the credit card bills coming in the next month. You don&#8217;t have to worry the next day about what you spent.<\/p>\n<p>You simply put it in the budget and pay for it with cash.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_how_can_I_budget_like_an_adult\"><\/span>So how can I budget like an adult?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Budgeting like an adult can be stressful at first, but the sooner you do it the better off you will be.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine never being stressed about credit card bills and loan payments. Imagine being able to travel the world while you are still young.<\/p>\n<p><b>It all starts with a BUDGET.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>You won&#8217;t know if you can even afford to travel across the state let alone the world without a budget. You have to be a grown up and face it like an adult so you can go do what you want to do.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1_Figure_out_your_income\"><\/span>Step 1: Figure out your income<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The first thing you need to do is figure out how much money you are making. This includes any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/side-hustle-benefits\/\">side jobs<\/a> that you may have. If you get paid irregularly, then figure out the average monthly income you make.<\/p>\n<p>Adults know how much money they make. This is the only way to start your budget.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2_Figure_out_your_expenses\"><\/span>Step 2: Figure out your expenses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The next thing you need to do is figure out your expenses. You need to determine what your bills are for each month and when they are due.<\/p>\n<p>You will also need to decide on reasonable amounts for things like food, gas, entertainment, savings, clothes, gifts, Christmas, vehicle expenses, and things like that.<\/p>\n<p>The most important thing you can do for this step is to review the last 1-3 months of expenses. It will be extremely eye-opening for you. I know when I did it, I was shocked! I could not believe what we were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/food-budget\/\">spending on food and eating out<\/a>. It was more than our mortgage!<\/p>\n<p>Chances are that if you have not been following a zero-based budget, you don&#8217;t really know how much you have been spending. If you think you spend $600 a month on food but haven&#8217;t really been tracking it, it is probably more like $1200.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_3_Be_Intentional_with_what_is_left\"><\/span>Step 3: Be Intentional with what is left<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Once you have your budget laid out with your income, expenses, and miscellaneous categories, you may have some money left over.<\/p>\n<p>I want you to be very intentional with what is left. This is what goes toward your goals.<\/p>\n<p>Do you want to be debt-free? Send what is left to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/debt-snowball-method\/\">smallest debt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Do you want to travel? Transfer what is left in a savings account specifically for traveling.<\/p>\n<p>I want you to decide what is important to you and use your money for that.<\/p>\n<p>Your budget should have a balance of zero on paper. Do not have a $300 balance on your budget. You can and should budget a little extra for categories. You should also have a miscellaneous category for unexpected expenses. This will be your buffer \u2013 you do not need to leave $300 in your budget without a purpose.<\/p>\n<p><b>Whatever is left goes toward your goals.<\/b> Whether it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/save-rainy-day\/\">saving for emergencies<\/a>, or a savings goal, or paying off your debt, this is where your money starts to work for you. You get to control your money instead of your money controlling you.<\/p>\n<p><b>It is seriously that simple. <\/b>You figure out your income, expenses, and decide what to do with what is left. I can&#8217;t make it any simpler than that. The hard part is putting it together at first and then deciding that it&#8217;s important enough to stick to it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_sticking_to_the_budget\"><\/span>Tips for sticking to the budget<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Write it down.<\/b>&nbsp;When you write down a goal, you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadershipiq.com\/blogs\/leadershipiq\/the-gender-gap-and-goal-setting-a-research-study\">greater chance of achieving it<\/a>. And yes, a budget is a goal for your money. Write it down on paper!<\/li>\n<li><b>Use cash.<\/b>&nbsp;You will stick to each budget category easier and <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/money\/4410238\/pay-with-cash-value-of-money-study\/\">spend less money<\/a>. It&#8217;s harder to let go of cash, so you naturally spend less at the store.<\/li>\n<li><b>Have some wiggle room<\/b>. Don&#8217;t make the budget too restrictive. Overbudget for things because chances are that it will cost more than you think. Give yourself a miscellaneous category for things that will come up that you forgot about.<\/li>\n<li><b>Make a visual of your &#8220;why.&#8221;<\/b> Sometimes you need some extra motivation to stick to the budget. Decide what you want to do with your money and make a visual for when you are tempted. Whether it&#8217;s travel, staying at home with your kids, or being debt-free, keep the visual where you see it every day. This will help remind you why you need to stick to your budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_need_a_budget_when_I_have_a_low_income\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7583\" src=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/how-to-finally-start-budgeting-like-an-adult.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"496\">Do I need a budget when I have a low income?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>YES!<\/p>\n<p><b>Everyone needs a budget<\/b>, it doesn&#8217;t matter if they make $25,000 or $250,000 a year. If you don&#8217;t manage your money, it will not help you achieve your goals.<\/p>\n<p>If you make a low income, you especially need a budget. You do not have much wiggle room in your budget and a small mistake could be devastating.<\/p>\n<p>However, don&#8217;t assume that the more money you make, the fewer problems you will have.<\/p>\n<p>Without a budget, the more people make, the more they spend. Yes, this would be nice if you have a low income but you still need to manage your money.<\/p>\n<p>You want to decide what your goals are and then as you make more money, you can put more towards them instead of just spending more money.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_if_I_don%E2%80%99t_want_to_deal_with_a_budget\"><\/span>What if I don&#8217;t want to deal with a budget?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you are an adult, you have to do things you may not like or want to do. It&#8217;s part of being a grown up. Grown-ups have to do things that are important, and this is one of those things (along with learning how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.physicianonfire.com\/investing-adulting\/\">invest as an adult<\/a>!)<\/p>\n<p>If you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/same-employer\/\">work at a job you hate for years<\/a> and just spend aimlessly, then so be it. If you want to have financial freedom and be able to do whatever you want to do, then it starts with a budget.<\/p>\n<p><b>A budget is not hard once you start one.&nbsp;<\/b>It is generally the same month-to-month. It will vary from month-to-month slightly, but overall it&#8217;s the same. Once you get used to it, you can move it to an app or spreadsheet and then it&#8217;s just a matter of copy and paste each month.<\/p>\n<p>Then adjust depending on what is going on that month.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_if_I_screw_up_the_budget\"><\/span>What if I screw up the budget?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s okay! You will screw it up at times. Especially the first couple of months. Give yourself some leeway the first three months. It can take up to 90 days to form a new habit. It will take some getting used to. Especially if this is all new to you.<\/p>\n<p>You will forget to budget things. You will have unplanned things come up. You will have an emergency.<\/p>\n<p><b>All these things will happen. But if you plan for them, they won&#8217;t wreck your budget.&nbsp;<\/b>An emergency will become a minor inconvenience.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A budget is easy, the hardest part is starting one and sticking to it. <b>A budget allows you to achieve your goals and still have fun.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Write your budget and your goals down to help motivate you.<\/p>\n<p>Join some like-minded Facebook groups to ask questions and have some support.<\/p>\n<p>Sticking to your budget will not always be easy, but it does get easier the more you do it!<\/p>\n<p><em>Ashley Patrick is the owner of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.budgetsmadeeasy.com\/\">Budgets Made Easy<\/a>.&nbsp;She has written an ebook, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.budgetsmadeeasy.com\/easy-ways-save-money\/\">200 Easy Ways to Save Money Everyday&nbsp;<\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.budgetsmadeeasy.com\/budget-workbook\/\">The Ultimate Budget Makeover Workbook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today we have a guest post from Ashley of&nbsp;Budgets Made Easy. Ashley was able to pay off $45,000 in 17 months and now teaches people how to pay off their debt. So&#8230; you&#8217;ve decided you want \u2013 or maybe need \u2013 to finally start budgeting. It&#8217;s one of the first steps toward handling your money [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Finally Start Budgeting Like an Adult<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com\/start-budgeting-adult\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Finally Start Budgeting Like an Adult\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today we have a guest post from Ashley of&nbsp;Budgets Made Easy. Ashley was able to pay off $45,000 in 17 months and now teaches people how to pay off their debt. So&#8230; you&#8217;ve decided you want \u2013 or maybe need \u2013 to finally start budgeting. 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