You Guys...The Budget Rocks!

I don't have much time today, as I'm completely obsessing about this new business idea I have and cannot stop making notes and researching.  I'm also putting together a Children's Expo for From Cover to Cover and need to focus on what needs to get done, but I am just so EXCITED!  It may not all work out in the end, but I am happy and having fun.  It's a win in my book!

I just wanted to share a bit about the budget today.  This is our first month and, while it's not perfect, it has been amazing.  It sounds so silly, but each time I get a bill I refer back to my budget page, write in the amount (we estimated beautifully this month), and pay it.  I know the money is there, as we have accounted for it, and it's just, well, done.  The best part?  Most of our bills have come in a bit under what we budgeted, so there should be money leftover to apply to our debt.  Huh, I never knew budgeting could be fun.

So, what improvements can we make?  Figuring in the little things.  For example, Valentine's Day costs.  We don't have that budgeted anywhere.  Though it's not much money, we need to account for it within our regular budget.

We are also learning the ins and outs of the irregular income budget.  This is necessary due to my husband's career in sales.  Commission varies by month, so we must prioritize our spending and list it in order on the budget form.  It has been tremendously helpful and I'm confident we will improve with this component each month.

We're on the right track and it feels great.  It's almost time to have our meeting about next month already.  It's exciting to finally have this plan in place.  We have been so cognizant of our spending these past few months and it has helped us weed out unnecessary purchases.  Our goals are set and we will achieve them by budgeting and having control of our money.

If you're hesitant about creating a budget, I encourage you to give it a try.  Life becomes so much less stressful when you have a visual plan to follow!