Various Ways To Make a Budget You Can Keep in 2024

Adopting a holistic approach to budgeting is vital if you’re considering taking charge of your finances, whether for retirement, a significant life event, or general financial stability. 

Emily David, a Certified Financial Advisor, advocates for understanding the deeper purpose behind financial planning. She believes recognizing the true motivation for budgeting can transform perceived sacrifices into meaningful steps toward an ideal lifestyle.

“I advise my clients to understand their financial ‘Why.’ When things get difficult, people lose motivation and give up on budgeting. Budgeting becomes easier when you know why.

Emily believes that the “why” should be happiness and joy. The ‘why’ shouldn’t be to pay off debt.

For effective budgeting in the upcoming year, here are several strategies:

Evaluate Past Financial Actions: 

John Webster, the CEO of Pcbitalian, suggests reviewing your financial performance from last year. Identify key spending areas and potential savings opportunities to understand your spending habits better and set a foundation for your new budget.

He advised,  “Look where you spend the most money, and identify areas where more could have been saved.” This will give you an idea of your spending patterns and a good place to start when you create a budget for next year.

Practice and Perseverance: 

George Fitzgerald, a personal financial advisor at finance automation, believes that while making a budget is simple, adhering to it is challenging. 

He suggests that once you know your reasons for doing so, you create a budget to allow you to live within the limits of your income.

Learn to sacrifice and say no when you have to. I recommend including a small amount in your budget to allow you to buy impulse items within reason.

He adds, lastly, that adhering to a budget is a practice. Sticking to a budget initially is difficult, but it becomes easier with time.

Regular Budget Reviews and Adjustments: 

Mike David, a real estate investor at Homebuyers, stresses the need for frequent budget reassessments to ensure alignment with financial objectives. Adjust your budget to accommodate life changes and unexpected financial shifts.

He suggests you re-evaluate your budget every month, quarter or half year.

“Ensure that you are steering in the right direction towards your financial goals. Be bold and adjust your budget if unexpected windfalls and overspending throw you off track. What about life events like weddings or career changes? “Make the necessary adjustments to stay on track.”

Set Achievable Goals: 

Jack, CEO of Pcbinsider, advises setting realistic savings targets based on income. He also emphasizes the importance of spending limits, especially in discretionary categories like entertainment and dining out.

He explained that saving $1000 per month may be a great goal if you can afford it, but it will demotivate you quickly if the goal is unrealistic.

Jack says that even more than setting realistic goals for savings, implementing spending limitations can help maximize your money.

You can avoid spending too much money by limiting entertainment and dining.

Additional Tips:

Zero-Based Budgeting: Zero-based budgeting is a meticulous approach that involves allocating every dollar of your income to specific categories until there’s nothing left unassigned. This means your income minus your expenses should equal zero. First, you need to list all your monthly income sources, including salaries, bonuses, and any passive income. Then, categorize your expenses into housing, food, utilities, transportation, savings, debts, and entertainment. 

The key is to allocate your income across these categories so that every dollar is accounted for, ensuring you’re consciously spending or saving each portion of your income. This method requires regular monitoring and adjustment. If you underspend in one category, you reallocate those funds to another, keeping the balance zero. This budgeting style is ideal for those who want precise control over their finances, as it requires detailed tracking and can help identify unnecessary expenses.

50/30/20 Rule: The 50/30/20 rule offers a simpler, more flexible approach to budgeting, ideal for those who prefer a less detailed method. It involves dividing your after-tax income into Needs, Wants, and Savings/Debt Repayment. Needs, which should comprise 50% of your budget, include essential expenses such as rent or mortgage, groceries, utilities, insurance, and minimum debt payments. Wants are allocated 30% of your budget and cover non-essential expenses like dining out, hobbies, travel, and entertainment. The remaining 20% is dedicated to savings and debt repayment, including emergency funds, retirement savings, and extra debt payments. 

This method is particularly effective for achieving a balanced financial lifestyle. It allows for personal enjoyment while ensuring that essential expenses and savings are not neglected. The 50/30/20 rule is also adaptable, making it suitable for different income levels and financial goals.

Envelope System: The Envelope System is a traditional, hands-on approach to budgeting, especially effective for managing discretionary spending. It involves using physical envelopes to allocate cash for different monthly spending categories. First, determine your discretionary expense categories like groceries, entertainment, dining out, and personal care to implement this. Then, create an envelope for each category and fill it with the budgeted cash amount at the beginning of each month. The key rule is to only spend the cash in each envelope for its designated purpose.

Once an envelope is empty, you can only spend more in that category in the next month. This method physically restricts overspending and provides a tangible sense of where your money goes. It’s particularly beneficial for those who struggle with overspending on credit or debit cards, as it enforces discipline and promotes awareness of spending habits. However, this method may only be suitable for some expenses, especially fixed ones like rent or online payments, and requires the withdrawal of physical cash.

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