Tis the season for family dinner parties, quality time, giving, and unfortunately for many families …. DEBT. That doesn’t have to be the case this year. You can set a budgeting plan in place NOW! You can create a budget to keep you from going into debt this holiday season or one to help you get out of debt.
I have been an advocate for the envelope budgeting system for years, and can attest to the fact that it really works. My family has been in debt a few times, and dug ourselves out of it, using this system.
You begin by creating a cash flow budget. I love the Dave Ramsey forms below. It is a simple cut and dry way to create a budget and stick to it.
You will create an envelope for each section on the form that has an envelope next to it. Once you spend the money you allotted in an envelope, that is it! There are also percentages listed next to each category, to help you see where you are overspending. You want to create a plan for each dollar if income you bring in. There is a great app called Every Dollar. I no longer use it, but it was very helpful when initially setting up our budget. I’m an old school paper and pen kinda gal. It really is astonishing how much money you can find when you make it a point to give each dollar a purpose.
Once you get your budget in order, you can begin Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. This is where you will see major changes in your debt and savings. These steps are created this way to give you momentum to continue!! This is where it can get fun and start to seem worth all the work you have put in.
This can be helpful if you have never budgeted a day in your life and are sick of living paycheck to paycheck. It is also a good idea if you just want to do a year end audit of your financial status, to see if you have hit your financial goals, for the year. It is useful for all those families that land in between. I guess what I’m getting at is, everyone needs to do this! Hey you may even find yourself qualifying for a better mortgage rate!
Feel free to shoot me a message when you have done it and I can cheer you on along the way!!
-Brandy Bryan
NWI Property Lifestyle by Brandy 