Welcome to the first ever Belle In Full Bloom Q & A blog!
I am so excited to kick off this series and create a space for learning and growth. The question of this week revolves around how to create and maintain a budget! It is as follows: What are some mediums for budgeting? Is there one that works the best?
There are limitless ways that you can create and maintain a budget.
As a self-proclaimed budgeting freak, I can confirm this firsthand. I’ve tried several different kinds of budgeting rules, methods, and mediums. Just based on personal experience, I can confidently answer the latter half of the question. There is no medium for budgeting that works the best. Budgeting is an incredibly personal ordeal, so when choosing a platform to facilitate your budgeting activities, you just have to understand your personal preferences. Are you great with technology? Do you like to do things on your own terms, even if it creates more of a learning curve? Are you more traditional? These are all great things to consider.
Okay, so we’ve got the bases covered. Now it’s time for the burning question. What are some of the different mediums for budgeting?
Here are a few of the different methods that you can use to create a budget and maintain it over time.
Simple Yet Effective Apps
Apps are a great platform for setting up a budget for yourself. They are built with beautiful, easy-to-read layouts. Typically, they come preloaded with templates that allow you to focus on the goals that are most important to you. They’re customizable, and you can access them on both computers and mobile devices. Not to mention, they are typically either free or low cost! If you’re looking for the ease of an app, are technologically savvy, and want extremely accessible data, then an app could be your best bet! However, apps still have their shortcomings. They’re fairly customizable, but not entirely. If you’re a bit of a control freak (like me – yes, I am subtweeting myself here), you might want to be able to label your transactions in certain ways, or create different visuals, or change the layout of the budget. In this case, switching to a more DIY method might have some serious benefits for you.
Interested in trying out an app to create a budget? I’ve used Mint in the past, and it is a great tool! It’s free, and super easy to use! I would highly recommend this one!
Old Fashioned Pen and Paper
I tried out the old pen and paper method of budgeting after using Mint and realizing that I wanted something more personalized to me. After researching some budgeting templates on Pinterest, I found a few that I liked and synthesized them into a document that fit my needs. I started using the sheets to write down my spending for each pay period, so that I could make sure I was living below my means. It gave me a way to budget, but also allowed me to be creative in doing so! I used colorful pens, stickers, and a font that I liked in order to keep myself engaged. There was an old binder under my bed, and I used it to store my sheets in. This way, I could keep track of my progress over the pay periods! Of course, this method is much more DIY. That gives you more control, and allows you to design your budget exactly how you’d like. If you like things a particular way, you will probably really like this method! However, it does take more time and energy! If you want a quick, low-effort way to budget, the app route might be more your style!
The Best of Both Worlds: The Spreadsheet Method
Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love spreadsheets. They are extremely customizable, and they can hold so much data that it can get concerning. You can filter them, create graphs and other visuals with the data they contain, and can even view them from your phone. If you couldn’t tell, this is my personal favorite method. It is the perfect blend of the convenience and accessibility of an app with the customization aspects of a handwritten or printed template. Of course, if you’ve never created a spreadsheet, learning how to use Excel or Google Sheets might take you a bit of time. However, once you’ve got the basics down, it’s fairly easy to navigate both of these platforms. I’ve experienced both the frustration of learning how to use a spreadsheet, and the payoff of finally knowing what I’m doing. If you aren’t interested in learning how to use spreadsheets and want something simpler, then a different method will definitely work better for you. If this sounds like it would fit your needs, take the leap!
So, there you have it.
Those are a few of the mediums that you can use to create and maintain a budget. All of them are great in their own ways, and all of them have some kind of downfall. If you analyze yourself as a learner, you’ll easily be able to identify a method that will work the best for you. No matter which you decide to go with, though, just know that you are making strides in the right direction. Deciding to budget your money can only help you in the long run, and it encourages healthy habits. I’m so proud of you for getting started!
Did this blog prompt any questions for you?
I would love for you to submit them! Click this link here to be redirected to our question form. I’d be happy to answer to the best of my ability, or to find an answer for you. Similarly, if you have any advice to share, we’d all love to hear it. You can submit advice at this link here. As always, thank you so much for reading!