Budgeting is an important process that helps you and your family track your spending, reach their financial goals, and take control of their finances. I would say it is literally the essential tool to design your life.
But if you don’t have any clues about how to make your personal budget, don’t worry; here we are! We’re going to go through the things that you need to know to keep your finances in control.
Table of contents: Personal budgeting
- What are the benefits of personal budgeting?
- Personal budgeting step 1: Calculate your monthly income
- Personal budgeting step 2: Pick a budgeting method
- Personal budgeting step 3: Track your spending
- Personal budgeting step 4: Set realistic financial goals
- Personal budgeting step 5: Create a budget plan
- Personal budgeting step 6: Monitor your progress
- Tips to stick to your budget
- Conclusion
- Frequently asked questions: Personal budgeting
What are the benefits of personal budgeting?
A personal budget is a financial plan that allocates future personal income towards expenses, savings, and debt repayment.
Creating and sticking to a budget is like having a GPS for your trip. You can avoid getting lost on the way to your desired destination. Similarly in budgeting. First, you establish your budget goal (destination). Then, you plan your budget plan (chosen path). Lastly, you can estimate the time it will take to reach your goal.
You can ensure that you will reach your destination without veering off course with budgeting. More than that, personal budgets have a lot to offer when it comes to benefits:
It helps you live within your means: A budget keeps your expenses in check and prevents overspending. This reduces financial stress and helps you avoid debt traps.
It allows you to save money: By budgeting, you know exactly how much you can devote to savings and investments each month. This builds your net worth over time.
Achieves financial goals: With a budget, you can effectively plan for and save towards goals like an emergency fund, retirement, or buying a house.
Gains awareness of spending habits: A budget helps you analyse where your money is going so you can identify areas to cut back on.
Improved decision-making: With a budget, you make intentional spending decisions rather than emotional purchases. You think twice before spending on wants versus needs.
Provides a sense of control: Budgeting puts you in the driver’s seat of your finances. You feel empowered to take charge of your money, rather than it controlling you.
Overall, a thoughtfully created personal budget gives you a clear picture of your finances, so you can take purposeful steps towards a solid financial future.
Personal budgeting step 1: Calculate your monthly income
The first step in creating a budget is to calculate your total monthly income. This includes income from all sources, such as:
- Your job: Add up your gross monthly income from wages, salaries, overtime pay, commissions, and tips.
- Side jobs or freelance work: Total any income from side gigs, freelancing, ride sharing, delivery services, etc.
- Investment income: Include dividends, interest payments, and capital gains distributions.
- Government benefits: Social security, disability, and unemployment benefits
- Alimony or child support: Regular support payments received.
- Rental income: Earnings from rental properties.
- Business income: Profits from any business you own.
- Any other income: Money received regularly from other sources.
To determine your total monthly income:
- List all your income sources.
- Find the gross monthly amounts.
- Add them up to find the total.
Knowing your total monthly income allows you to plan your budget around realistic amounts. Track your income regularly to account for any fluctuations. With an accurate income figure, you can allocate your earnings across different budgeting categories with awareness.
Personal budgeting step 2: Pick a budgeting method
Budgeting methods provide frameworks to allocate your income into different spending categories. Choosing a budgeting system that fits your lifestyle is key to sticking to your long-term budget.
The best budgeting method depends on your preferences and financial situation. Try different approaches to find the right system that empowers you to take control of your money.
Here are some of the most popular budgeting methods to consider:
The 50/30/20 Rule
The 50/30/20 rule recommends dividing your after-tax income into 3 spending categories:
- 50% on needs: This includes expenses like housing, utilities, groceries, and transportation.
- 30% on wants: Fun spending like dining out, entertainment, and vacations.
- 20% on savings and debt repayment.
This system creates a balanced approach to budgeting that allows room for needs, wants, and financial goals. The flexibility makes it easier to adapt to changing circumstances.
Zero-Based Budgeting
Zero-based budgeting involves allocating every dollar of your income to a specific purpose. You assign each dollar a job, whether it’s rent, savings, or discretionary spending.
This method provides a high level of control and awareness over expenditures. It prevents overspending since no dollar goes unaccounted for. The downside is that it requires effort to maintain and can feel restrictive.
Envelope Budgeting
Envelope budgeting is a hands-on system where you place cash for different expenses in labelled envelopes. Once an envelope is empty, you stop spending in that category.
This tangible approach makes it simple to curb overspending and gives you a visual reference of what remains for the month. However, it can be inconvenient compared to digital budgets. The cash-only aspect may not work for all your expenses either.
Personal budgeting step 3: Track your spending
Keeping track of where your money goes is a critical part of budgeting. Without understanding your spending habits, it’s impossible to create an accurate budget that aligns with your financial goals.
Categorising expenses is key to getting a clear picture of your spending patterns. Separate expenses into fixed costs like rent, variable costs like groceries, and discretionary spending like entertainment and dining out. You may also want to break discretionary spending down further into subcategories like gifts, hobbies, subscriptions, etc.
Use a budgeting app or spreadsheet to log all expenses, assigning each to a category. Be sure to track every single transaction, even small ones like a coffee or snack. This spending data will reveal where your money is going, so you can make intentional decisions to align your spending with your values and goals.
Analysing the percentages and averages spent in each category over a 1-3 month period will uncover spending habits you may not have realised before. For example, you may discover you spend way more on convenience food than you thought.
With clear insight into spending patterns, you can start making strategic adjustments to redirect cash flow towards what matters most. Continuing to track expenses in these categories will help you stick to your budget over time.
Personal budgeting step 4: Set realistic financial goals
Setting clear financial goals is another crucial part of the budgeting process. Your goals should be realistic and align with your overall financial priorities.
When setting financial goals, it helps to differentiate between short-term and long-term goals.
Setting short-term goals
Short-term financial goals focus on things you want to accomplish in the next 1-3 years. Some examples include:
- Saving for a vacation
- Building an emergency fund
- Paying off credit card debt
- Saving up for a down payment on a car
Setting short-term goals helps provide near-term motivation and allows you to track your progress more frequently. Make sure your short-term goals are specific and achievable within 1-3 years.
Setting long-term goals
Long-term financial goals are things you want to accomplish in 3 or more years. Some common long-term goals are:
- Prepare an emergency fund
- Saving for retirement
- Other long-term goals
Long-term goals require more effort but reap bigger rewards. They help you build wealth and financial security over decades rather than years. Make sure your long-term goals align with your values and priorities.
Prepare an emergency fund
Set aside 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses in a savings account for unexpected events like job loss, medical bills, home or car repairs, etc. Having this emergency cushion will prevent you from going into debt when an emergency strikes. Start by saving $500-$1000 as fast as possible, then build it up gradually.
Saving for retirement
Contribute regularly to retirement accounts like MPFs to ensure you have enough income for your non-working years. Aim to save 10-15% of your income if your company offers a MPF match, or at least 5-10% if there is no match. Take full advantage of employer matches to get free money.
Other long-term goals
Factor in other big things you want to save for in the future: buying a house, starting a business, having kids, vacations, etc. Break the goals into smaller milestones and set aside an amount each month to accumulate over the years. Automate transfers into dedicated savings accounts or asset allocation funds.
Giving your money jobs by allocating funds to different savings goals will enable you to watch your money grow. Pay yourself first before spending on wanting to build your nest egg. Start small, if needed, but be consistent. In the future, you will thank me!
Use SMART goal framework
With both short- and long-term goals, make sure to use the SMART goal framework; your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Tracking your progress will be much easier if your goals meet the SMART criteria.
Setting realistic short- and long-term financial goals will provide direction for your budget and motivate you to stick with good financial habits. Review and adjust your goals regularly to account for any changes in priorities or circumstances.
Personal budgeting step 5: Create a budget plan
Now that you’ve set your financial goals and tracked your income and expenses, it’s time to allocate funds and create your budget plan.
When creating your budget, you’ll want to break down expenses into different categories, like housing, transportation, food, utilities, debt payments, entertainment, etc. Consider these categories as “envelopes” and allocate a certain percentage of your income to each envelope based on your goals and spending habits.
For example, using the 50/30/20 budgeting method, you would allocate:
- 50% towards needs: Housing, utilities, transportation, groceries, minimum debt payments, etc.
- 30% towards wants: Dining out, entertainment, hobbies, etc.
- 20% towards savings and debt repayment
Adjust the percentages to fit your own financial situation. The key is to make sure your total spending aligns with your after-tax income. If expenses exceed income, you’ll need to reduce spending in certain categories.
There are several tools that can help you build and manage your budget:
- Spreadsheets: Create your own customizable budget spreadsheet to allocate funds and track spending.
- Apps: User-friendly budgeting apps
- Buckets: Have physical envelopes or jars to store cash for budget categories.
Whichever method you choose, the goal is to allocate your dollars ahead of time so you are intentional about where your money goes each month. Monitor and adjust your budget plan regularly to stay on track financially.
Personal budgeting step 6: Monitor your progress
Keeping tabs on your budget and spending is crucial for maintaining control of your finances. It’s important to regularly review your budget to see how you are tracking against your plans and goals. Aim to formally monitor your budget at least once a month.
When reviewing your budget, start by looking at your income and expenses for the month. Are your actual figures in line with what you estimated and budgeted for? If not, look into the discrepancies. For example, did you end up spending more on dining out than you had anticipated?
Next, look at how your discretionary spending measures up to your targets. Are you allocating too much to shopping or entertainment? Are you sufficiently funding your savings goals?
Also examine your fixed and essential costs, like housing, utilities, transportation, and insurance. Have these changed, or do you see any areas to cut back on?
Based on this review, you may need to make some adjustments. If you went over budget in certain areas, look for places to reduce spending the following month to compensate. Or you may have to recalibrate your overall budget if your income or fixed costs have changed.
The key is to learn from each month and continually refine your budget to align with your evolving financial situation and priorities. Stay adaptable. Monitoring your progress will help you make smart money moves.
Tips to stick to your budget
Sticking to a budget can be challenging, but there are some strategies that can help.
Leverage budgeting tools
Use budgeting software or mobile apps to automatically track your spending and income. Grantit is one of the popular options.
Link accounts to your budgeting app so transactions automatically import. This removes manual tracking. And don’t forget to set up app notifications if you exceed spending limits in a category. Getting alerts can help curb overspending.
Reward yourself
Build small rewards into your budget for when you achieve savings goals or stick to spending limits. Instead of making these rewards purchases, opt for free experiences such as going on a hike or having a movie night. This approach helps you stay on track with your budget. Celebrate budgeting milestones with non-food rewards, such as treating yourself to a massage or buying concert tickets.
Find accountability partners
To effectively manage your budget, try these strategies: share it with a friend or partner for accountability; join budgeting communities for support; hire a financial advisor or coach for guidance; automate bill payments and transfers; and set calendar reminders for budget reviews.
Conclusion
The benefits of budgeting extend far beyond dollars and cents. It provides peace of mind, reduces stress, helps achieve financial goals, and lays the groundwork for a secure future. We hope this guide has equipped you with the key strategies and knowledge to budget successfully. Now it’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice. You’ve got this!
Frequently asked questions: Personal budgeting
What is the purpose of personal budgeting?
Personal budgeting helps individuals and families track their spending, reach financial goals, and take control of their finances.
How does budgeting help you live within your means?
Budgeting keeps your expenses in check and prevents overspending, reducing financial stress and helping you avoid debt traps.
What are the benefits of creating a personal budget?
Creating a personal budget helps you live within your means, save money, achieve financial goals, gain awareness of spending habits, improve decision-making, and provide a sense of control over your finances.
What are some popular budgeting methods?
Some popular budgeting methods include the 50/30/20 rule, zero-based budgeting, and envelope budgeting.
How can I stick to my budget?
Stick to your budget, leverage budgeting tools, reward yourself for meeting goals, find accountability partners, and regularly review and adjust your budget based on your progress and changing financial situation.
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