How many of you actually have a budget?

[Ns1]

And stick to it?

 

[CraKaJaX]

#4

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: Ns1
And stick to it?

I use Budget Calender and keep my budget up to date for one year in advance on a week to week basis. I don't even balance my checkbook any more as I just look at the budget and compare it to the online balance for any particular timeframe.

Before the budget celander, I kept a weekly budget (usually forcasted 3 to 6 months in advance) for the prior 15 years. It was handwritten on a yellow legal pad. I went through many of those pads throughout the years.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: Ns1
And stick to it?

I use Budget Calander and keep my budget up to date for one year in advance on a week to week basis. I don't even balance my checkbook any more as I just look at the budget and compare it to the online balance for any particular timeframe.

Before the budget calander, I kept a weekly budget (usually forcasted 3 to 6 months in advance) for the prior 15 years.

wow, impressive.

 

[JohnCU]

kinda. i list everything in excel and forecast about 3-4 weeks ahead

 

[Tiamat]

I have a budget, but I do not stick with it. I end up saving a bit more money than I had planned while still spending the amount of money that I wanted and needed to. (I don't tap into the contingency that I always lay aside each week).

Its hard for me to be dead on budget.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: Ns1
And stick to it?

I use Budget Calander and keep my budget up to date for one year in advance on a week to week basis. I don't even balance my checkbook any more as I just look at the budget and compare it to the online balance for any particular timeframe.

Before the budget calander, I kept a weekly budget (usually forcasted 3 to 6 months in advance) for the prior 15 years.

and this is how you own a house well in advance of retirement.

 

[SSSnail]

I have a budget, it's called a wife.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

i live well below my means so i dont have to have a budget

 

[LS21]

my first 3 months out of school i kept every single thing in a spreadsheet - costs broken down into categories. havent opened that spreadsheet in 2 years

now i throw my credit cards to whoever takes them

 

[sundev]

Been keeping a budget in Excel (month-to-month) since the beginning of the year, forecast 3 months in advance. Every quarter I adjust each line item based on the previous quarters averages.

e.g. food averaged $200/mo in Q1, but had $220 budgeted. In Q2 my food budget decreases to $200.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: Ns1
And stick to it?

I use Budget Calander and keep my budget up to date for one year in advance on a week to week basis. I don't even balance my checkbook any more as I just look at the budget and compare it to the online balance for any particular timeframe.

Before the budget calander, I kept a weekly budget (usually forcasted 3 to 6 months in advance) for the prior 15 years.

and this is how you own a house well in advance of retirement.

Paid for one day before my 37th birthday....23 years and 4 months "early" on a 30 year mortgage. "Most extra" money (overtime, etc) not in the budget (I don't budget overtime in my weekly forcast as you can't rely on it) was sent to the mortgage.

Budget calendar for the win.

 

[amish]

have a budget. everything gets tracked through MS Money since the program was free for me. the budget is set for the month and then aggregated for the year. it is nice to know mid month how good or bad i'm doing.

 

[Ns1]

wow, my budget looks great until you factor in food and entertainment

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Ns1
wow, my budget looks great until you factor in food and entertainment

Heh, these are the biggest, quickest, easiest money pits! Especially eating out or drinking out.

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
i live well below my means so i dont have to have a budget

I am fortunate enough to be able to say this as well. Even when my means weren't so good I didn't have a budget. We just didn't spend more than we made.

 

[CPA]

We had to start a budget this year. We were drowning further and further into credit card debt and didn't have a clue of where our money was going. Now, every paycheck is budgeted (I have it forecasted through July 2009) and we have paid off $40k of debt since January.

 

[amdskip]

I do not have a formal budget but I live within my means and the extra money I save gets thrown at the mortgage principal.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

I have a rough budget, and use mint.com to track my expenses. I did use the history from there to figure out what was the maximum rent I could afford, etc. Also, I like the fact that all your account balances are shown on 1 screen, I use this to transfer money from/to savings as required.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't really have a budget that is "set". I just kind of make it up in my head as I go, sorta like "ok I'm going to spend $500 or less on NN" then I try to stick by that.

 

[jlee]

No budget. I don't spend frivolously, which helps.

 

[ric1287]

made a budget, but also have ~0% self control so it doesn't work too well. Luckily i make a "ton" of money and live with the rents still, so the CC debt is dwindling.

Started at about 6k in April, down to about 3k now. Should be debt free by Jan, wooo

 

[ggnl]

I'd rather remain blissfully ignorant of how much money I spend on hookers and blow.

 

[Ns1]

I find it sad that my revenues take up only 6 lines by my expenses take up 40

 

[Modelworks]

I'm thinking someone out there has it in for me.
Any month I manage to save money something always goes wrong that makes me have to spend my savings