There was a time when I didn’t have a budget. I had no idea how much money I had, where my money was spent, or even how much debt I had. I just spent, spent, spent and had little thought for the future. I was stressed out and so worried about money every day. It took a few rock bottoms, before I decided I was done with that and starting using a budget.
You don’t have to use a fancy system or complicated budgeting sheets to start a home budget. The important part is keeping track of bills and due dates.
One thing I did find useful when starting a budget was using a “cute” planner – one I would enjoy looking at and opening on a daily basis. I also needed the planner to be SIMPLE. It had to be something I could figure out easily.
A Diligent Heart Shop
The printable planners sets from A Diligent Heart shop can be used to create a simple system that you can use to keep your bills in order. To use it, you will need a three ring binder, paper to print the planner out on, a printer to print the planner, a hole punch, and page protectors.
What is available in the shop?
Daily Planners
Weekly Planners
Full size and Half sheet pages options
Meal Plan options
2016 Calendars
Custom Covers
Print and Customize
Add page protectors to hold bills as they come in by month
Add page protectors to hold receipts
[Tweet “You don’t need a fancy system or complicated budgeting sheets to start a home #budget.”]
How to Budget using a Daily or Weekly Planner
What I love best about printable planners, compared to already printed planners from the store, is that you can customize them for what you need. Not everyone budgets the same, and we all have our own special little ways of doing things. With a printable planner you don’t have to use the pages that don’t apply to you, and you can mix and match pages from another printable planner.
The colors and design of planners is also really important to me. If it is something I will use every day, like this planner, I need it to have a color scheme I love and a design I really like. The colors and design of these planners are super fun and easy to use. Personally, I love all the pink!
These are two ways I budget now. The Bill Due Dates is a great way to keep track of every bill you have and when it is due. I also have my bills listed in my Google Calendar. I need to have more than one place to check my bills since it is so easy to forget one. Anyone who has ever paid a late fee can understand that! It’s also handy to see when they are due. My water bill is always tripping me up since it is due every other month, and it is not easy to schedule that on an electronic calendar.
For me, I list all my bills due for a two week period covering when my husband and I are paid. I find a two week schedule is easier to manage. I list all the bills and amounts and include estimates for things like gas (car fuel) and other things that will need to be paid that I am not sure of the exact amount. Then I add them all up and I know right away if I will be short and need to pull from my savings account, or if I will have money left over to pay extra on our debt. I found that with a monthly budget, I always held too much money for things I wasn’t sure of in the next pay period and didn’t pay as much extra to our debt.
Recommendation
If you are looking for a very simple budget planner, this would be a good place to start. This planner would be an excellent choice for someone who has never used a budget before and doesn’t know where to start. It is also good for people who love to print things and write things out.
Get Your Planner
You might also like:
Stay On A Budget Using A Prepaid Card
