How To Do A Monthly Budget

http://youtu.be/Rs8P0Eh7Zbc

Guess what day it is?   And….guess what we’re doing today…..the budget.  We have learned if we don’t sit down and do it we will look up and wonder where our money went.  Exactly what happened this month, in fact when I went to our online budget form,  www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com, we had totally skipped October!  Yes, we still paid the bills but it almost felt like we were in a fog all month.

We use to dread the budget mainly because we were afraid we wouldn’t have enough to cover all our expenses.  We even found ourselves having to redo it in the middle of the month because we had forgotten about someone’s birthday or we had to buy a tire….imagine that, these ranch roads and needing a new tire.  Even with that, sitting down together to decide what to spend our money on has been a real  stress reliever for our marriage.  We have now been doing a monthly budget for over twelve years, some months have been textbook while others have been more challenging.

Along with this encouraging lesson on budgeting from Rachel Cruze, here’s five other encouraging reasons to do a budget.

1. It will help you and your spouse agree on how the money should be spent.  If he is a saver and you’re a spender, you both cam come to some mutual agreements.
2. Helps to set future goals.  It may be that you want to put some money aside for a vacation or special anniversary.  A budget can help chip away at a bigger goal.
3. Saves arguements.  No need in hiding those new clothes or any other splurges, “blow” money used on little extras even has it’s place.
4. It gives you more freedom.  The budget actually gives freedom to spend.  I use to think a budget was restrictive, but not so if you plan on and agree on those expenses.
5. Makes you accountable.  If you’ve ever had trouble with spending, a budget makes you accountable on paper, on purpose and accountable to each other.  If you’re single, writing down your plan or having an accountability partner can help you tighten up the money belt.

2 Cor. 9:8, is one of those scriptures that we clung to and proclaimed over our finances,   “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always, having all sufficiency, in everything you may have an abundance for every good deed.”

Do you dread doing a monthly budget or do you find it gives you more freedom?  Hope you feel a little more encouraged as you sit down to do your monthly budget.