This article was written by Morgan who writes for TheDebtDance.com - a blog designed to help you get out of debt and start living your dreams.
Budgeting to get what you really, really want
Hate to budget? Most people do. They don’t like to figure out how much they owe, how much they spend, or track their future spending. It evokes feelings of dread, self-remorse, being restricted, shame, and even panic.
And what does budgeting get you? Usually there is no tangible reward to budgeting—just limitations of what we enjoy, what we like in life, what we really, really want to do. However if you set up a budget that focuses on your dreams you will enjoy a whole new perspective on life. It will allow you to envision a more fulfilling, more peaceful future. Having faith that it can work is the cornerstone of your success in budgeting to get what you really, really want.
4 steps to get started
1. Decide on what you want your money to do for you. (If you have trouble with this imagine that you have just won a lottery. What would be the first one or two priorities you would do? Pay off your bills, quit your job, buy a new house or car? Whatever you choose is probably what you truly want out of your money.)
2. To begin the budget, or spending plan, write down your “gotta” bills: your mortgage or rent, utilities, insurance, day care, MINIMUM payments on your credit cards and student loans, an emergency fund, car payments, etc. These are the items you really have no control over. (Subtract your total gottas from your income.)
3. Second, write down two to four “wanta’s”—the dreams, the hopes, the goals. These may include paying off credit cards, buying a home, taking a vacation, helping a family member, changing jobs or starting a business. Look at your balance in number two and decide how much you want to spend on your dreams. You may want to calculate how many months it will take to accumulate the money you need. For example, calculate how much you need to put aside each month if you want to buy a home in two years with ten percent down. Now, like the commercial says, just do it. (Subtract your total wanta’s from your previous balance in number 2 above.)
4. And last, live with what’s left. Buy your groceries, clothes, entertainment—all of those things you really can control—with whatever is left. Your priority has shifted from mall-surfing to putting your money to work on what you really, really want.
Pay your gotta’s and wanta’s first and you don’t have to track every penny you spend after that. There’s no need to. You simply live on what’s left. Always be flexible, don’t give up because things don’t always go as planned.
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon.
You will hit bumps in the road and you will need to adjust what you funnel into your dream money. Building an emergency fund is critical in beginning to fly right over those bumps without getting into further debt. Stopping debting is essential to achieving your dreams. You wouldn’t try to paint a masterpiece while sinking in quicksand. Don’t build a new life while digging yourself deeper into a hole. If you take charge of your budget and make it work for you, you will have a magnificent opportunity to totally redesign your life. Don’t wait for the lottery. Make it happen now.
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I think the word budgets scare some people. I prefer to deal with spending plans. I think the word relaxes people because you talk about how they spend their money.
I have also used a visual of buckets. Budgets tend to be too detailed for most people but if you get them thinking in more simple terms, psychologically it allows them to visualize the process better.
A bucket for your mortgage, your car payment, your fun money, etc. You can visualize the money sitting in a bucket. If see the money in the bucket, you learn to think, ok do I have money in my fun bucket to allow me to go to this movie?
If you hate budgets, don’t use one. Use a spending plan, a bucket list
another tool to help you control your spending. Budgets are a plan and feedback tool.
They only work if you use them. Find a tool you will use. Don’t make it any more complex than you have too.
The first thing that I would do if winning the Lotto, would be to tithe the tenth and give an offering. Then, I would do step 1-4. ahs
People don’t want to because it’s not fun. Make it fun and you will see results. Plan out what your bills and spending are and when you can attack it like a game it becomes more fun. Add goals and you have motivation which helps you continue.
I agree with Craig. Make if fun and you’ll enjoy doing it more. There’s a little kid in all of us who still loves to play! Why not make it a game to spend and save wisely?
Hello
Should a Christian budget? I know it sounds like a crazy question-but as a servant of the Lord and a husband of a Queen who introduced me to tithing, I’m confused. My wife whom I love dearly feels that I’m a HAWK over her shoulder when it comes to our money.
When I want to give $250 (that I don’t have) to a good cause-she is so happy with me. Yet, when I want to save $100.00 by asking her to stop ordering stuff on the internet, and stop eating out for lunch because when spend $ 130 per week on groceries-she feels I’m bully budgeting.
Should we just continue to pay our tithes and never prepare for the future-and let God handle our retirement, and such. Or, should we build a plan to tithe but also create a budget?
Thank you,
Albert
Albert,
You might want to look at Dave Ramsey’s Books. I’m not a Christian in the classic sense but I find his arguments really compelling. As I read it, it goes something like this:
You could spend $250 in tithing now and keep yourself in a horrid situation, and not be able to help others more than that. Or you could save money where needed and be able to give $250 to LOTS of people later on. The crystallisation of this for me was his story of the Good Samaritan. Everyone remembers him for helping when no one else would. But don’t forget, he could help because he had money to help! Jesus didn’t say don’t have money…he said to help people with what you have.
My advice – be straight up with her! Tell her that giving away what you don’t have only puts you in a situation in the future where you don’t have what you need to help others. Cut now so that you can help more in the future!