Some people fear the word budget. But I say why fear, when there’s www.mint.com?
Have you heard of it? If not, I’d encourage you to check it out. Why let money control your life when you can have total control over it? Mint.com has done just that for me. See, most people lose control of their spending because they don’t have a system to manage their money. Nowadays, people use plastic (credit or debit card) more than cash. With plastics, you aren’t able to see where your money is going (unless you have a habit of balancing your account). The psychology behind paying with cash is that it hurts to see money leave your hand, thus having the tendency to hold on to it more. With Mint.com, the website will combine all of your accounts, set up budgets, provide investing options, and give you a great start to budgeting your finances.
Here’s a glimpse of what my budget consists of:
Gas, Rent, Utilities, Groceries, Restaurants, Savings, Tithes
A couple things you must realize the first few months you have a budget:
1. Be flexible- It’s probably not going to balance out the first few months. It’s ok to tweak the categories you have set up.
2. Be Disciplined-Once it’s settled in, abide by the allotted amount. Let’s say if you allotted $20 for Restaurants don’t go over! Once that money’s gone, then no more eating out.
3. Budget all of it- Do you mean every last dime? Yes! That’s the point of budgeting. Give all of your money a category.
The awesome thing about Mint.com is that it’s so user friendly. Let’s say you eat out at Chick-fil-a, and your total is $6.87, Mint.com automatically categorizes that into your Restaurant category. And if it doesn’t you can easily do it yourself. Same goes with any other purchase. Gas @ BP, Rent, Utilities, etc. So, you really have no excuse on checking this website out. Additionally, you might want to check out Crown Financial Ministries @ www.crown.org or Dave Ramsey’s site @ www.daveramsey.com to some tips on saving and spending. I know these two organizations have really helped me out.
Don’t forget, everything we have comes from God. Let us be good stewards of His blessings. I encourage you guys to start a budgeting plan. Let me know how things end up. Feedback is GOOD!
