Budgeting.
BWAH.
BWAH.
I KNOW.
Budgeting reminds me of a Koosh Ball ---
"Income" reliably combines one, two, maybe three items on a budget sheet. "Expenses" is a much longer list [48 times longer using our template as an example]. Expenses can reach BEYOND Income altogether with credit, loans and debt.
I love the Koosh Ball.
It looks like a MESS with its *2,000 rubber "threads."
If you look a Koosh Ball over carefully, you'll find that it has a rubber loop. With the loop around your finger you can bounce, twirl, and control the Koosh Ball. It can be surprisingly good for focus and stress-relief!
Income is the core of a budget. From it, various expenses extend. It can look like a MESS.
But by looking it over carefully, we can spot certain expenses that aren't as fixed or important as they once appeared. We likely have more control over our expenses and budget as a whole than we realized.
All of this means MORE MONEY. Earning more money is quite difficult. But, when you can spend less, you can keep more and actually grow your account balances. In this economy.
A few of us have to get creative and put forth a bit more effort to find that wiggle room. Baby steps.
I started with A SIMPLE MONTHLY BUDGET [Oh no, a broken link!]. Neither "food" nor "groceries" are listed because
◊ you can spend more than you earn on either one [both open-ended expenses].
◊ The "Balance" in our budget is meant to give you an idea of how much you have for open-ended expenses, once you've budgeted for the most important expenses.
[Thanks for your patience while I tinker with this broken link.]
Not everyone will have the same list of expenses. If you have trouble editing our workbook, please leave a Comment.
Expenses in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS have their own worksheet. Each worksheet's total will appear on the first worksheet automatically.
If you don't have your last month's bill, guess high. A number is better than no number.
A few of us have to get creative and put forth a bit more effort to find that wiggle room. Baby steps.
I started with A SIMPLE MONTHLY BUDGET [Oh no, a broken link!]. Neither "food" nor "groceries" are listed because
◊ you can spend more than you earn on either one [both open-ended expenses].
◊ The "Balance" in our budget is meant to give you an idea of how much you have for open-ended expenses, once you've budgeted for the most important expenses.
[Thanks for your patience while I tinker with this broken link.]
Not everyone will have the same list of expenses. If you have trouble editing our workbook, please leave a Comment.
Expenses in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS have their own worksheet. Each worksheet's total will appear on the first worksheet automatically.
If you don't have your last month's bill, guess high. A number is better than no number.
Let us know what you think.
To edit the Amount fields we clicked on "Edit Workbook" at the top [to the right of "File"], and then "Edit in Excel Web App."
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