It took a long time in life but I am finally learning to live by a budget. I don't spend money like I used to and rarely shop anymore. I am able to save money and am close to being debt free.
Here is my December budget. The actual column represents expenses/income that I have already entered into the check register. The big item is of course the medical expenses.
I must admit, I find this spreadsheet hard to follow. But I guess with you knowing what is likely to still come in, it makes more sense to you! I use a ledger-type spreadsheet that I made up (a friend of mine refined it somewhat), with my checking account balance at the top and expected income and out-go listed out by date expected. Every couple days, I update my checking account balance at the top, delete the line items that have already come in, and make sure the bottom line is right. I also have the impact of each line item on the checking account balance listed next to it. That way I can tell if I'll be in danger of overdraft at any time.
Mine requires frequent tending to stay current. But I feel like that keeps me deeply connected to my finances, so it's worth the extra effort to me.
December 4th, 2012 at 05:43 pm 1354643038
Mine requires frequent tending to stay current. But I feel like that keeps me deeply connected to my finances, so it's worth the extra effort to me.