When you’re trying to save, either just so that you have more of a financial cushion to fall back on or because you’re trying to reach a target, a budget is often the most sensible solution. A budget can allow you to keep an eye on your spending, though it does require some self-discipline to actually follow it through in the first place.
Even when you find a budget structure that works for you, and get into a rhythm of sticking to it, problems can arise. As easy as it is to say in advance that you’re happy to avoid spending frivolously until you reach your goal, this can be more restrictive than you expect.
Allowing for Fun
The first way to resolve this might be to go back to that central idea of what you allow for in the first place. When you make a budget, it’s easy to think of the essentials as all you need—food, bills, rent or mortgage, etc. When you start to think about getting coffee, visiting restaurants, or having a drink with friends, it can all feel very easy to strike it from the record.
While potentially not necessary spending in the same way that bills are, what you spend on having fun is still incredibly important in allowing you to simply enjoy your life and cutting things out might not be realistic. The solution then might simply be to give yourself an allocation that’s still within the range where you’re walking away from the week, saving money.
Making More Money
Making money is perhaps an idealistic goal, but also potentially easier than you give it credit for. Jobs aren’t the only way to make money, and you might find that you have more around the house that you don’t use than you’d expect.
If this is the case, you can begin to compile a collection of these belongings that are suitable for selling on. Companies like Shiply offer courier service free quotes, which can give you an idea of how any potential costs might factor into your budget. This could be the right way to go about selling your larger items, but when it comes to old games, TV series, and movies that you have lying around, you might find that there are some physical stores near to you where they can accumulatively earn you some spending money.
Different Weeks, Different Spends
It’s also easy to see the budget as a fact more than a template. Sometimes, you might naturally go over, and it’s easy to agonize about why that was the case or what it means for your spending goals. Equally, though, there might be some weeks or months where you’re actually saving more money than you expected, meaning that those occasional dips over the line aren’t as damaging as you think.
Rigidly adhering to a budget can be difficult, so it’s important not to be too hard on yourself when minor deviations occur. It might still mean you’re on track, after all.
