happiness is fresh cut green grass

There are so many little things in life that make me happy and I think it is important to remember those little things.  Life can get crazy and stressful and it helps to find the little things that make you happy.

happiness is fresh cut green grass

I can't wait for the summer BBQ's we will hopefully be having this year!

learning to budget part 2

This is part 2 of how I budget.  As I talked about here I am new to budgeting and I wanted to find a simple way to keep track of my budget or I knew I would not keep up with it. So I got this little accordion file from the dollar spot at target to keep my receipts.  I also keep a pencil and a small calculator so that everything I need is right there.

I keep the budget sheet I created in my planner/wallet so that I always have it with me and I know where I am at with the budget for that month.  It keeps me from spending more that I have already allocated.  

So I will collect my receipts and every few days (depending on how often I go to the store) I will record my receipts under the correct categories. I then keep a running total so that I know how much I have left. After the receipts have been recorded I keep them in the accordion file for a few months until I am sure I no longer need them.

So this may seem very simple but I think that it is a great way to start so that I don't get too overwhelmed!

learning to budget part 1

My husband and I have always pretty closely watched how much we spend but have never truly had a budget for groceries, household, or miscellaneous purchases.  So since we are getting ready for some changes with our income coming soon we decided it was time to buckle down!
 We decided to start pretty simple and it has been working well for a couple of months.  Now, we are still working on the numbers to see what we really need and what falls under what category.  It's all a work in progress for sure.

 I truly believe you have to start somewhere so here we go.  This is what worked for me.

I made this sheet and I keep it in my planner that I also use as a wallet. This way I always know how much I have left.  At the beginning I allocate how much money for my personal budget and how much I have for the Grocery/Household.  In the other category I will list if I have a goal for saving some of my personal budget for something big or if there are extra purchases (birthday gifts) that I need remember.

Part 2 coming soon!