1) Gives You Control of Your Money- It is amazing to me that we all work so hard for our money, yet we rarely have control of it. Often, because of debt and other financial obligations, our money begins to control us. Budgeting saves you the stress from having to rearrange funds because you didn't adequately plan out your expenses. It also enables you to have the choice in whether you sacrifice a short term desire, liking buying coffee, in exchange for a long term goal of going on vacation, buying a new car, etc. All these little choices we make will affect our budget and allow us to have so many more choices than we once thought were available to us. A budget is actually freeing!
2) Makes You Conscious of Your Spending- Having a budget allows you to be completely aware of where all of your money is going. All to often we spend without thinking of how the more we swipe those debit cards, the lower our checking account balance gets. This was a problem I had pre-budgeting days. Once I made a budget and looked at it often, I was able to see where all of that money was going and what I was spending it on. It was quite an eye opening experience. Budgeting takes out the guess work of whether or not your money will last you to the end of the week...the end of the month...you get the idea. It allows you to know for sure what you can and definitely CAN NOT afford. It also enlightens you to what you value as important, based on how you allocate your funds, how your money is working for you, and how far you are towards reaching your financial goals.
3) Stops Overspending- When you have a budget, you now have a game plan for the month. You know where your money is allocated, so you know what you have money for. When I am vigilant about making my budget and sticking to it, I am less likely to overspend because I know that all of my money is accounted for and has a purpose. Giving our money a purpose, allows us to not purchase things we don't need.
4) Allows You to Communicate with Significant Others About Your Finances- We all have heard it right? That one of the main reasons for arguments between couples is finances. It can cause a huge amount of stress to be placed on families and can bring a lot of unnecessary drama into an otherwise happy environment. If you share with your spouse, family, or anyone, a budget can help you communicate how you use money as a group. Creating a budget with your spouse will allow you to both be on the same page, making financial goals together. You will be able to resolve differences on how your money is spent. Budgeting teaches family members about spending responsibility and makes them accountable to how they spend.
5) Provides You with an Early Warning for Potential Problems – When you budget and take a “big picture” view of your finances, you will see potential money problems in advance. When this happens, you are able to make adjustments before the problem appears or festers.
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When it comes down to it, a budget is simply your plan for how you use the money you work so hard for. It gives you direction and purpose for all of those hours you work. It allows you to create a spending plan, which will ensure that you always have enough money for the things that you need and the things that are important to you. Following a budget reduces stress and gives peace of mind. Who wouldn't want that?
Find more money saving tips and tricks in my book, Living a Beautiful Life on Less :)
*Don't forget to check out my What's Up Monday Vlog on the channel this morning. I'm talking about bugs with wings, candle wax down the drain, and more. There's stories to go with each of those :) Check it out!
XO Danielle
I'm so bad about STICKING with a budget - I have the best of intentions, do the budget, have the meeting, etc but then I'm like 'weeeellll we have x amt of money left over - let's go do something!'
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