fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4388 ]

[ SECRET POST #4388 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4388 ⌋

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Handle money or finances well. I really was never taught how, and when I try to figure it out, I get confused. Plus, I stress spend. When I'm not feeling well, I tend towards buying music or videos or cat toys.

This is me. I'm trying to get my finances together but I couldn't even use a simple budgeting program when I tried it. And I tend to buy manga when I'm stressed. I don't even read them. (I mean they're manga I want to read someday, but who knows if I ever will.)

But I have no choice about getting things in order so I'm going to have to try.

I use YNAB.com for my budgeting. I love it. You can link it directly to your accounts too so it will automatically keep track of all of your spending.

It's helped me so much that I was able to pay for a $1300 car repair (ugh brakes) right away.

My thing is I make 500 a week. And other than that am supported by my parents. Only, I don't know from month to month what I'll be paying for and what they are covering. Like, they told me they'd cover medical expenses until I had a full time job with benefits. So I budgeted based on that. Only, now my mother tells me they won't be paying me back for the premiums and copays I shelled out for the past 3 months while things have been off and one or another of us has been in the hospital. so sometimes I think I have a little bit of spending money and then find out nope, actually don't after I already spent.

Admittedly, it has been a rough couple of months and I've spent more than I should (like, ordering takeout during my surgery recovery when everyone else was in the hospital and I simply didn't have the energy to cook).

But in the end right now I don't have enough to pay off my credit card. And once I have another couple paychecks, my mother will see that I took everything to pay it off (we share a savings account so she can put money in there). Then we'll have a conversation. Which, in the past I've dserved because I've always been terrible with money. But this time? This time I've had a couple off months and I've been taking care of them and the house and everything. And i don't need or want a lecture.

Sorry for the rant. I want a job. I don't want to live here anymore.

YNAB was the one I tried and had trouble with (I wanted to budget in advance and that was difficult with the account connected... OK maybe I'm just not that bright.) But maybe I'll give it another try.

I've had a few instances where I was left scratching my head (refunds to credit cards for example) but the help button is very keyword sensitive and if you ever have issues I've never had a problem not getting help when reaching out to them. :)

I don't know how you've been doing it, but the way I do budgeting is pretty simple and it works well enough!

First, I add up all of my bills that are exactly the same from month to month (i.e. rent $750, phone bill $70, insurance $75, etc.), then subtract that from my paycheck. That money is all officially off-limits for anything other than its intended purpose.

Next, I add up an approximation of what my expenses that aren't a set amount will be (for example, groceries are usually about this much per month, electricity is in this range for this time of the year) and mark that amount as being off-limits as well. I then add an extra fifty dollars or so just in case my calculations end up being wrong. Whatever I have left after all that is my "I can use it for whatever I please" money, although it's important to note that I never actually spend all of it. I generally try to put at least part of it into savings.

Spending some money for stress relief is fine but it's important to put hard limits on it so you don't get yourself into trouble. I usually tend to allow myself about $50 per month for "I'm feeling kind of shitty so I'd like to buy something to make myself feel better" purchases. I find that setting a limit helps me keep a perspective on it so I don't just go buying stuff left and right. It also helps me make smarter choices about what I buy (as in, I could buy that jacket for $35 or I could buy this Steam game for $10 and then still have $40 left to spend on other things).

Basically I think the main thing to keep in mind is that just because you have X amount that isn't going towards bills doesn't mean you should be spending all X amount on other stuff.

Oh, wow, this is really helpful, thanks. And yes, I think my biggest issue is that I don't think ahead very well. If money is free now, I'm more likely to spend it without planning for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.

Yeah, that's the hardest thing to curb! It's easy to say "I've got $200 dollars so I can spend $200," but you don't want to do that. I try to make sure that I put at least $50 of every paycheck into savings as a minimum. Some months it's more than others because of unforeseen expenses or there being a lot of things I want to spend my money on (this month I'm not going to be socking much away, for instance, because Kingdom Hearts 3 and the Tales of Vesperia remake are coming out), but I still try to stick to that as a minimum no matter what. It's easier to do it once you make it a habit and start mentally allocating that $50 or whatever amount you choose as going towards your savings rather than being spending money.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #4388 ]

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