7 Tricks To Stay On Budget

Need help managing your finances? We’re sharing our tips to help you better plan, organize, and track your spending so you can stick to your budgeting plan.

Do you set financial goals and make plans for how you’ll reach those goals? Though it’s easy to think about what you want, it can be difficult to figure out where to begin in order to be successful. The secret to forming a great plan is to start by building a budget to take control of your money.

Creating your budget is the easy step – the challenging part is sticking to it. To help you start and stay on track, we’re sharing seven tricks to help you stay on budget. Practice these tips daily to build good financial habits and reach your goals.

7 Tricks To Stay On Budget

1. Track/Analyze Spending

Begin by monitoring your transactions for a month. This helps determine exactly where your money is going. Find areas with room for improvement and adjust your spending accordingly. A+FCU members can use our free online Financial Tools to track and categorize spending across all financial accounts.

2. Create A Realistic Savings Plan

Set savings goals that challenge you yet are attainable. Setting ridiculously high expectations may lead to discouragement. On the contrary, low expectations fail to maximize potential.

3. Automate Savings

With the madness of everyday life, it’s easy to forget a thing or two. Instead of adding more to your to-do list, ensure you pay yourself first by automating your savings. With A+ Online Banking, it’s simple to set up recurring transfers on a weekly or monthly basis.

4. Use The Envelope System  

If you carry cash, this system requires you allocate funds into categorized envelopes each paycheck. You may have envelopes for eating out, groceries, entertainment, etc. When making a purchase, withdraw from the appropriate envelope. When you’ve run out of funds for that specific envelope, you know you’ve spent the budgeted amount.

If you don’t carry cash, using the Financial Tools service through A+ Online Banking is helpful for tracking your categorized spending – especially when keeping track of different spending accounts. Just be sure you determine how much you’re able to spend in each category and don’t go above your limits.

5. Ditch Bad Habits  

What’s your guilty pleasure? Maybe it’s buying an expensive cup of coffee each morning or eating out more often than you should. Instead, start making your coffee at home or meal plan for the week to avoid eating out. You’ll instantly see the difference in how much money you’re saving each week.

6. Shop With A List

 How often do you go to the store for one item and end up with ten more? Browsing may result in purchasing extra items. Avoid overspending by shopping with a list of items you need.

7. Sleep On Big Purchases

 Looking to buy a big-ticket item? It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and make a purchase on impulse. Shop around, compare, and allow yourself time to think things through.

Summary

Sticking to a budget may seem hard the first month but keep at it and adjust as needed. Practice makes perfect so continue practicing these steps and you’ll soon be more naturally cautious about how you’re spending and saving your money.