Minimalism isn’t just for your closets – the concepts can also be applied to your finances! Today we’re talking about how to budget, and how to find a budgeting method that works for you, even if you’re a frugal minimalist! There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to budgets and our mantra is ‘freedom’, so skip the guilt trips and shame sessions and tune in to receive permission to find what works for you!
Sponsors:
- Cook Smarts: Cook Smarts is an affordable and flexible meal planning service that provides recipes, instructions, weekend prep options, and a shopping list for 4 meals per week. We’ve partnered with this awesome service to offer listeners their first 3 weeks of meal plans for free and 25% off any additional services. To get this deal head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/cs and use promo code Frugal for 25% off.
- Leftovers: it’s every child’s least favorite word, but it’s the budget friendly way to eat! Didn’t finish your meal at the restaurant? Get a doggie bag, eat it tomorrow! Did you make way too much food on Christmas? Eat up those leftovers today! Don’t worry about the fact that you already ate this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – just think about all the money you’re saving! Leftovers – it’s turning your brain off, and filling your belly.
Notable Notes:
- What the Internet has to say:
- This article from Savvy Savers Academy lays the foundation for ‘why’ having a budget is a good thing. Most of us are on board with budgets being helpful – but this is a helpful argument in case you need a reminder 😉
- What Jen and Jill have to say:
- We agree with the point that budgets are glorified ‘plans’ for our money. Follow through can be difficult, but we have found that when we’re not planning we actually have anxiety about spending on anything, even things we need!
- Budgeting gives you a peace of mind on current spending and future living
- A good way to start is to track your spending
- try mint
- A budget gives control and freedom to spend
- More from the Internet:
- This article from Student Loan Hero outlines 5 different budgeting methods and how to incorporate them into your financial planning.
- More from Jen and Jill
- Jen uses a zero based or pay-yourself-first method so they can put the highest percentage possible to debt and savings
- Jen likes the idea of the envelope system and it works great for people like Allison of Inspired Budget who we had on the podcast (Episode 18), but it’s not for her
- Here are the different budgeting methods:
- Zero-based
- Pay-self first
- Envelope system
- 50/30/20
- No budget
BILL OF THE WEEK – Thank you Jocelyn for your bill! We appreciate our long time listeners – and we enjoyed the movie reference!
If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill
Ways to Stick to Your Budget – Tips from the Frugal Friends Community!
- Sage gets paid the first of the month and will pay all her bills and debt right away then spend whatever’s left. And the key to her success in that is leaving her credit cards at home! Amia plans out the whole month in advance but gets paid bi-weekly so she sets her bills to come out on each of her paydays. And she also keeps the last credit card she hasn’t cut up at home.
- Christine uses two checking accounts so all of her monthly bills come out of one and she uses the other for spending. This is good if you don’t have the option of paying everything on 1 or 2 particular days.
- Juvy uses the Mint app to track her budget because she gets notifications when she’s nearing her limit. Apps are a great way to bring your budget with you. I also like HoneyFi it’s a similar budgeting app for couples. Whitney uses EveryDollar and Ashley uses YNAB, all can be configured with the zero-based budget.
- Sue reminds us to prioritize sinking funds in our budgets so we’re not surprised by those often forgettable or unpredictable annual or biannual expenses.
Frugal Friends Book Club: It’s still December! And we’re wrapping up the “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko! – head over to our Frugal Friends Community to join the discussion!
- AND We are still giving away 1 book for every 5 reviews we get this month! You can still get a free copy of this month’s book!
- To enter; leave us a review on your podcast listening device (not just Itunes), screenshot the review, and email it to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com
- We’ll select the winners for this book at the end of the month
Thank you so much for hanging out with us today! hit the subscribe button wherever you’re listening to this and we’ll come at you every Friday with more frugal goodness. Until next week!
