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| Alee |
Posted - Jul 20 2011 : 07:24:57 AM
I adjust my budget every paycheck but atleast I have the barebones laid out for the next 3 months. I have my rent on auto payment and have some big bills coming up- but they will get paid and I am SO looking forward to September when the strain eases a bit. We are paying off some medical bills and boy does that hit you in the stomach! We even have pretty good insurance! My husband is not too thrilled because we have 0 fun money until Septemeber and even then we have to be pretty judicious about it.
Does anyone else work on their budget that far out? I actually have all the repetitive stuff as far out as the end of the year, but the specifics are about 3 months out.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 20 2011 : 09:27:43 AM
I agree ladies! These times are crazy. I use an excel spreadsheet and since the monthly income and expenses are pretty steady I just copy and paste across for about a year and then go in and put in our regular odd ball things like school tuition and such. I also have a running tally that shows what the “left over” is at the end of each month so I can add in extra debt payments or know when to really trim the fat. One thing I like to do is round up on my electric bills when I can- kind of like you were mentioning, Mary Beth- but instead of having it in an account where it can tempt me- I give it to the utility company. I only do this with needed items such as gas or electric. If I have a little play I will pay a bill ahead of time so I can pay another bill extra. Sometimes this gets me ahead enough that I can void out a month of payments and use it to pay off a small debt or extra groceries or something similar.
Every two weeks we budget $150 for groceries, $100 for gas for the vehicles. Our Electric is about $100 a month even with our energy efficient light bulbs! Sometimes we see it dip down but not often. I really hate our house because it has old wiring and I am sure we lose a lot of energy due to the old wiring. Our natural gas which only fuels our hot water and our heater ranges from around $15 in the summer to $100 or more in the winter. There are so many problems with our house but we rent and can’t fix most of the problems because they are structural. In the winter I have to hang a heavy blanket in the doorway from the laundry room to the rest of the house because it has insulation and other problems. I can’t wait until we can build or buy a house and make it energy efficient!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| Okie Farm Girl |
Posted - Jul 20 2011 : 08:39:05 AM
Nini and Alee, we do ours for a year too and medical bills is what gets us too. Right now, I'm spending $75 a week for my back problems. We've had to adjust other areas, like fun money, to compensate. I guess I can count the heat as a blessing because it keeps us from wanting to do ANYTHING, including fun stuff?? :-) We fianally buckled down and took all of our checks and payments to the various entities for the previous year and added each category for the year and then divided by 12. For example, lets say electricity was $150/mnth for 6 months and $300/mnth for 6 months: The total would be an average of $225 per month. So, with every paycheck we put $225, plus $10 for any rise in cost, into the electricity "account". That way, the money is always there no matter what the electric bill is. We have done that with all things and it has worked really well. We even have an account for "extras" that we put money in to cover the unexpected like my stupid back!!! :-) In other words, we spend the paycheck into the budget so that there is nothing left over. Every penny is delegated to something. We went to a Dave Ramsey seminar and it changed our life.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 20 2011 : 08:26:35 AM
I have my budget worked out for the year, Alee, but, like you, we find we're having to adjust monthly. Our utilities expenses have increased considerably since the first of the year, so those are really starting to eat up our budget. Thankfully, the garden is helping our grocery bill come down a bit, so that's helping offset the utilities increases, but not by much. We've cut back so much my husband says my wallet squeaks when I open it, and his releases moths... But we're happy, and cutting back isn't killing us - we've just learned to do with less or without. :) I'm just worried about what's to come with the economy, you know? I've been storing up, learning to do a lot more for my family myself, and really doing whatever I can to prepare, but dang - it's looking pretty scarey! Thankfully, I know the LORD will provide for us - He always does. He wants us to be industrious and wise like ants, but ultimately, it's our relying on Him that matters. :) This September, we'll have paid off one loan, which will help a little, and next October, the even bigger one will be paid, which will be a HUGE relief. After that, the only debts we'll have are the remaining medical bills, the auto loan (which won't have a lot longer til pay-off at that point) and our mortgage - Halleliujah!!! THEN I'll finish those off asap, providing the economy doesn't tank. Hang in there - it will all be worth it. :) I am starting to feel lighter already, just knowing those earmarked dates are approaching! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
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