#Budgeting you need a budget series#

If you’re having difficulty sticking to your budget, try creating a rewards system for yourself.įor example, every time you stay within your monthly budget, you could add $50 to your fun money. Whether it’s a couple rounds of golf each month, a monthly shopping allowance, or a weekly date with your spouse, it’s important to work some fun into your budget. So, make sure you give yourself some wiggle room in your budget by dedicating a portion of your budget to recreational spending. While it’s important to focus on your financial goals, you also need to make room for fun in your budget.Īfter all, what’s the point of working hard and being frugal if you can’t enjoy the fruits of your labor? Plus, the rest periods will help you avoid burnout and stick with your budget over the long haul. This kind of variety will keep you focused and motivated. After working extra hard, your normal budget should feel like a breeze. Then, during the 8-day intervals, you relax a little bit and maintain your budget like normal. Get as much done as you possibly can, and don’t let anything stop you!

I’m talking over the top, all-out financial effort. On the 7-day intervals, you work extra hard to cut expenses, make extra money, and save more than your budget actually requires. For example, you could break a 30-day month into alternating 8-day and 7-day intervals. It’s an incredibly effective way to work out, and it turns out, it’s also a great way to make budgeting more fun.Įach month, you break your budget into 4 intervals. It’s basically a training method where you alternate between periods of high-intensity work and low-intensity rest. If you’re into fitness you’ve probably heard the phrase High-Intensity Interval Training. 4) Try High-Intensity Interval Budgeting (H.I.I.B.)

#Budgeting you need a budget series#

Like running a series of 100-yard sprints vs running 10 miles, when you set shorter-term goals, you get to experience a ton of wins along the way.Īnd all those victories make budgeting a lot more fun. Or, you could set a quarterly goal to save enough money for a vacation–whatever gets you motivated. For example, you could set a weekly goal to invest $250. So, if you want to make budgeting fun, try setting some shorter-term goals. While these kinds of goals are important, they can be incredibly daunting and even a bit overwhelming.Īnd when you’re staring down such a long timeline, it’s easy to get discouraged and give up on budgeting altogether. When most people think about budgeting, they think about long-term financial goals like saving for retirement or paying off a mortgage. You’d be amazed how effective this can be–especially if you have a competitive personality. Either way, you’re going to have to cut back on your expenses, but when you’re playing offense, those kinds of actions will feel empowering rather than restricting. In other words, what if you shifted your focus from avoiding financial catastrophe to attacking your most inspiring financial goals?įor example, rather than focusing on the expenses you need to cut, you could set a goal to save more than you’ve ever saved in a single month. Between tracking your spending, eliminating expenses, and paying off debt, it’s easy to fall into a defensive mindset–which can get tiring.īut what if you approached budgeting from a more offensive standpoint? One of the biggest problems with budgeting is that it can feel like you’re always playing financial defense. And when you approach budgeting with a more positive mindset, you’d be amazed at how much more fun it can be.

Living on a budget is the fastest way to take control of your financial life. Sure, your budget might reveal some of your bad spending habits and force you to cut a few expenses, but that’s better than living in the financial dark. On the contrary, the goal of budgeting is to provide yourself with the freedom to do more with your money. It’s not meant to be restrictive or punitive. What you need to understand is that a budget is simply a tool to help you reach your financial goals. But that’s not actually the point of a budget!Īnd it’s this mentality that causes so many people to struggle and give up on budgeting altogether. You see, a lot of people think that budgeting means giving up all the things you enjoy and eating ramen noodles for every meal. To start things off, I think it’s important to adjust your perspective and take a more positive approach to budgeting. In this post, we’ll show you 10 ways to make budgeting more enjoyable so that you can take control of your finances and stress less about money.

But what if I told you that budgeting could be fun? If you’re like most people, the word “budget” probably doesn’t conjure up memories of laughter and good times.