[ SECRET POST #4388 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4388 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 17 secrets from Secret Submission Post #628.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: What basic things can you not do?

[(Anonymous)]

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.

Re: What basic things can you not do?

[philstar22]

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.

Re: What basic things can you not do?

[(Anonymous)]

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.