How do YOU budget?

SpekySquarehead

Another YNAB user and a huge advocate for it.

Only been using it 4 months and I can't imagine not having it now. In that time I've nearly halved my debt and I plan on continuing to use it well after I've cleared my debt in order to increase my savings.

I'm in love.

LameWolf

I use Open Office spreadsheets - it's like Excel, but it's freeware.:money:
I have one for my money, one for DH's, and another with all the freezer and cupboard stocks listed so that I can meal plan and keep our food stocks at a sensible level.

The money spreadsheets have several pages - one for Direct Debits, which I keep a month ahead set aside, one for money "earmarked" for other things than Direct Debits, one for Credit Card spends, (all our cards are paid in full every month) and one for Cash Available.

I keep a running score of the grocery spend each month, and if it goes too high, Questions Are Asked.

I have not one but TWO backups of everything, and these are refreshed every week (I need to do that today, in fact).

I suppose I'm a bit of a spreadsheet junkie.:rotfl:

inkie

The way that we operate is by separating in to actual pots (accounts) rather than on paper etc.

Salaries paid in to 1 account and then divvied up,into the following:

Husbands cars expenditure (road taxes, insurance, fuel)
My fuel and household food
Bills account (covering all direct debits)
SO straight out to daughters for their allowances
SO straight out in to savings funds
The rest in original account is then for general spending and what's left at the end of the month gets creamed off to further enhance the savings.

So,lots of accounts, but it works for us

MrsSave

Another vote for YNAB here! I've been using it for just over a year now, and love it!

FrugalinShropshire

Pen and paper and a purse system here. We have a joint account and each have our own account. All earnings go into joint account and then we each get 'spending money' monthly into our own accounts. Direct debits all go out on the same day and on the first tuesday of the month we take out cash for our purses. We have purses for home improvements, fuel (logs and bottled gas), garden, prescriptions, house insurance, chickens, water rates, and going out. We put the cash in these every month and then take the purses with us when we go out to the diy shop or garden centre etc. It really works for us and we are confident we can afford something as we have the cash to pay for it.

jackyann

I really struggled with any pen and paper method - I did it because I had to, but never found it easy to use.
Way back....? 20 years started to use Microsoft Money and loved it. I don't know why Microsoft stopped supporting it. Some people still use the free versions, but I found them going wrong too often.
I have now found Bank Genie and get on really well with it.

Frogletina

I budget using Ynab, but I also have excel spreadsheets and account books.

I've budgeted since I was 16. I really wish I'd kept all of my account books but I do have quite a selection that I don't want to throw out as they are interesting to look at.

frogletina

Grumpmum

I'm a fan of the notebook and pen method.
Each payday I write how much money went in, then list each bill/ debit/ whatever, taking away as I go. Then I allow a certain amount for each weeks food, deduct it from the total, and see if anything's left! Anything else comes out of this money. All debit card purchases are rounded up to the nearest pound as I have the 'save the change' thingy on my lloyds account. (It's surprising how much those little bits add up!)
I also cross off things as they come out of my account.
It isn't hi-tech, but it works for me! It has really helped me cut down my spendiness, as I can see where all the money has gone and I know anything I buy will be written down. Oddly, this is a deterrent to spending for me. Hoping the food diary works like this too..............

Cherry_Burton

I love YNAB (You Need a Budget), it has totally revolutionised my finances. I've used it to pay off debt, build an emergency fund savings and now make over payments on my mortgage.

Before YNAB I used an excel spreadsheet and before that paper and pencil. I've tried separate accounts for bills, food, savings etc. and envelopes, but nothing has worked for me like YNAB. For me, it's definitely worth the annual fee.

My daughter is going to university this autumn and I'm going to buy her a subscription.

CB

mrs_Badger

I use pen and paper. If I do anything digitally, I end up writing it out anyway, cos I like nothing more than feet up on the sofa, watching TV, and making plans and lists in a notebook