Hey Kayla!
Sticking to a set budget is something I always struggle with! Oftentimes I like to think I have a good grip on what’s coming in and leaving my accounts just by keeping an eye on it so why bother making a real budget. But as soon as I really sit down with the numbers I realize you can only see so much of your picture by simply glancing at it from time to time and going off of your gut feeling each time you swipe a card.
Budgeting apps like Mint and the starter budget in SUM180 have been SO helpful for me for both starting and sticking to a budget. It took me so long to start a budget because I didn’t know what was ‘right’ or how much was appropriate to allot to a given line item. SUM180’s starter budget is a great place to start building as it makes recommendations for what your budget might look like based on your income and you can adjust from there to make it fit your needs and priorities. Once I created my starter budget, I plugged it into my Mint app and can really easily categorize each of my expenses to make sure I’m sticking to my budget.
It feels really good to have a plan for where my money should be going and it’s empowering when I stick to it. And there’s nothing better than KNOWING there will be money to add to savings instead of hoping there’s some leftover each month.
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