Happy Friday to you! It's been quite a week at my house, which usually means extra expenses. I really need to stick to my budget for the foreseeable future! When I was thinking about this concept and doing some much needed and updated research, I found good ideas and thought I might share!
First, it's a good thing to do some research! Banking is done on the app or online or however you want to do it these days! It's so good to research those options and see what's available to you to streamline those tasks that need to be done. For example, bill paying can be done online or on an app on the phone. Moving money can be done the same ways. Wow, it seems like this has become much easier than the days of waiting for the statement to come in the mail so I could reconcile it with the checkbook register! The feedback is instant, which leads me to my next point.
We should be balancing our books daily. Depending on how you keep track of what money is where, balancing books can look different for you. However, doing it daily is a good habit to get into, since theft can also happen quickly. A firm handle on the finances means you'll know if a penny goes missing! It also means you'll know more mundane things, like how much is left in the eating out budget for the week. It means as a housewife, I can set my expectations accordingly. If there's no more Chick-fil-a funds, I have to expect to eat at home those days!
My next point is similar to the first. Use the tools your bank provides. If you're banking online, there's usually a place where you can search your records. Use that to search Chick-fil-a and find out how much you're spending if you don't already know. Use it to search your gas station name and find out if you have dedicated gas funds left for the month. This tool is useful for aggregate data as well, like yearly grocery cost comparisons. It tells me that we're spending wayyyyy too much on grocery, and that I might want to go back to shopping at Aldi and buying a few less name brand snacks!
To learn to do a basic budget, there are a ton of different methods available. Dave Ramsey's advice is to list all the monthly bills, including food and gas. He suggests giving the leftover money a category and spending it on paper before the month even happens. This method is helpful, but it does take a few months to get the amounts per category finessed. What I want to spend on food and what I'm actually having to spend are two different numbers, so it does take work to adjust as needed. Other money advisors will talk about sinking funds for the leftover each month, which are used for yearly or biannual big expenses, like Christmas. If we set aside a little each month for Christmas gifts and food, that won't be as much of a strain on the budget in December. The same is true for yearly school clothing purchases, car purchases, college costs, or furniture purchases. It can be anything you purchase and need to save for! Regular expenses plus sinking funds equals budget.
This is probably a good time to talk about contentment and gratitude! Many people are struggling right now to put food on the table. Many people are not having much left after the budget is made, if they're able to pay the bills at all. If we're able to pay the bills that come in AND put food on the table, we're blessed. I'm content with what I already have, and I'm mighty grateful to have it! If and when things have to be replaced or mended, I hope to use money wisely. I consider using money wisely a blessing I can give to my husband, Doc!
Some days, contentment looks like cleaning house and making the best of what's there. I don't need a Pinterest or Instagram home, but I do want my home to look it's best. Cleaning is the quickest way to spruce up my home! Contentment can also look like decluttering, or living with a room exactly as it is. For example, my dining room is set up with a table, chairs, and a hutch. Nothing more is needed, so I give it a good clean, put a fresh vase of flowers (or stems) from the yard or a fake bouquet, and call it done. It doesn't need anything new! If I got exuberant, I could pull out a pretty tablecloth to decorate. These small acts of cleaning and clearing clutter are what cause homes to look lovely regardless of size.
I hope this discussion on budgeting has been helpful to you. It's one of those things we all need to do, regardless of income. We all need to be good stewards of God's money! I pray for each of you, as you go about your daily tasks, that you are able to find deep contentment in what God gives us, in many different ways!
Stacy
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