I think the absolute most important part of a budget is making one that is realistic.
For example, I used to think that we didn't eat out much, so $50 seemed more than reasonable.
Come to find we spend more along the lines of $200 a month (about $50 a week). And this number is actually reasonable; I figure eating out once a week as a family, and then fast food stops (even for drinks only) costs $50/week.
We took a couple of months of keeping every receipt and tracking everything we spent. From there, we looked at what was excessive, and then figured out the budget with that information.
After we started doing that, the budget worked.
Blunt honesty and being realistic are key to a workable budget.
it is at times a pita to input - but it tells you exactly where the money is going - imo until you know where your money is going, it is hard to put together a realistic budget that can be stuck to.
with our annual budget we can make adjustments by category.
it is at times a pita to input - but it tells you exactly where the money is going - imo until you know where your money is going, it is hard to put together a realistic budget that can be stuck to.
with our annual budget we can make adjustments by category.
I just recently heard of Quicken and really want to try it out. I jsut have to set up the online banking account first.
