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Budget help
I'm looking to get our household on a budget and I want to try to use an excel file to do so (plus the Dave Ramsey system-of sorts). Do you have a template that you really like? I'll be using google docs, as my mac does not have the word programs on it.
ETA: do you have any tips to getting your husband on board with an *actual* budget? He's pretty good about not spending money, but I don't think he's too keen on keeping a strict budget.
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Re: Budget help
I use Quicken. You have to buy it but it takes care of when my bills are due, when we get paid, what my balances are and I can do a debt payoff plan pretty easily. I sync my credit card and bank accounts every morning so even if DH forgets to enter in a receipt I still see it and my bank account is balanced. It's kinda takes a while to set up depending on how many accounts you have but it's worth it for us.
I've tried using excel sheets but they never worked out for me because I couldn't keep up with them. You can also use mint dot com for basic stuff but I haven't used it in years so I'm not that familiar with it.
i don't use it but i have a lot of friends who use and really like mint.com
i have an excel file that i made myself after looking at a bunch of templates online. but its honestly too much effort for me now, i haven't updated/tracked anything in ages cause my spreadsheet requires too much effort. i need to look into mint again since it links to your bank accounts = less effort.
we always gave ourselves a little wiggle room in our budget ($$ could move between categories and we usually had a "misc" category)... reality for us was that budget was a moving target. if target had something i'd been keeping an eye on for a year that was suddenly 70% off, even if it blew the budget but was a good deal (and something we'd eventually buy anyway), then we'd blow the budget. for us, keeping a budget has always been more about making an effort to manage our money better rather than being super strict... if that makes any sense.
I just made a ghetto excel spreadsheet to track the "important" stuff. We keep track of all our recurring expenses (utilities, mortgage, insurance, etc.) and then divvy up the rest from there. We tried going to a cash-only budget a couple months ago and it was an epic fail. We probably tried doing it too quickly - going from no budget whatsoever to a super strict one was just a bit overwhelming for both of us - and honestly it isn't a system that works with our lifestyle (DH travels a lot for work and is constantly racking up business expenses to get reimbursed later).
We do, however, make a point to chat every week-ish about the status of our accounts. I update the spreadsheet and we talk about what bills are coming up, how we're doing on paying down credit cards, saving for big ticket expenses, how much "extra" money we have in the account for whatever, etc. For us this has been way more beneficial than any kind of budget. Keeping us both on the same page about how much money is going in/out on a regular basis has really been the key on keeping spending from getting out of control. We also have made a point to do grocery shopping together whenever possible (except for quick trips for milk, etc.) and we both keep each other in check from buying random chit. We make a list and stick to it.
we keep track of things with mint.com. love it.
DH has a crazy detailed budget that he created in excell, but he's a nerd.
. It tracks all of our yearly and monthly expenses along with the current balance of my "keep staying home" savings account.
As for sticking to a budget, we are both very strict. We each have our own budget(including Kate) and we track them in a google doc. I will occasionally borrow from the next month out for Kate (sometimes I just can't resist new clothes) but we don't cheat for ourselves. DH just bought a TV and it came out of his spending money. It took him 2 years, but he finally bought it.
Our big problem is the grocery budget. we are supposed to log it in the google doc as well, but we never do.
ditto mint.
it's great for budgets and to see where you are spending your money. plus it's super easy to use.
I was wondering exact same thing. Dh and I jumped on D. Ramsey a couple of months ago and thank God! We are finally on the same page. We were always moving the same direction but now are on the same page and turning them together, in sync! He got on board w/ the viedos. We puchased the home study kit and DH is sold. I'm beyond sold.
We are trying to figure a spreadsheet/ budget keeper format that works for both of us. He doesn't like mine (which I think is perfect). Let me know if something works for you.