Some people treat money like it’s some sort of taboo subject, your finances are your business. Well, I think phooey to that!
TDLR:
I used to be horrendous with money, now I’m not. I created this budget planner to gain control of my spending. Click here to get your own copy!
Four years ago, my job was to write bereavement notices for local newspapers. It was a shit job, with shit pay. I earned £17,500 a year and lived paycheck to paycheck.
The thing is, this shouldn’t be the case. I lived with my parents, had barely any bills and didn’t have to pay for food at home but still, I never had any money. In hindsight, it was completely my fault.
Yes, I wasn’t earning a great amount of money but I had little outgoings. My problem was that I acted impulsively. When I felt sad I bought myself a present, when I had a bad day I bought a new outfit and when I felt bored or stuck I’d treat myself to a holiday!
I burned through my savings so quickly, when I was short on money I borrowed it from friends and family with the promise I’d pay them back. Thinking back now, I feel embarrassed about relying on other people and I have no one to blame but myself.
3 years ago, I met my partner Gabe and he was such a grown up. I was so impressed with how responsible he acted and how he never seemed to struggle with money. He taught me that just because I wanted something, it didn’t mean I needed it there and then. Because of them, I started to grasp the value of money, which is something I never had before.
I sat down one day and started to look at my money. I created a budget planner that I updated every month. I used it to break down where exactly every penny I earnt went.
Now, I’ve used this budget planner for three years and it has been updated to factor in everything in my life. I have a section where I can evaluate my finances throughout the month and at the end of the year. I can see my annual outgoings and savings.
I’ve made it super easy to use, all you will need to do is each month add your income and your out goings. The budget planner will do the rest!
Make sure you give yourself an hour at the end of each month to review your outgoings and plan for the month ahead!
Three years it’s taken me, but I now have no debt and have my share for a deposit on a house.
If you’ve ever struggled to manage your money, I would like to share my budget planning tool to help you. You can get access here.
You will just need to open it, select file and choose to make a copy.
If you have tried using my budget planner, please let me know how you get along with it!