Comments on: BBC #1: My responses http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:25:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jon http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3192 Jon Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:42:32 +0000 http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3192 We have a budget that we follow and we have certain amounts that we need to spend on things, like groceries or eating out for lunch while I'm at work. The thing is, we don't have time to be continually be checking what we've been spending online to see if we're in our budget or not. So most of the time we usually spend more than we wanted too and many months don't have anything extra left over to save. I like you're idea a lot! My wife has trouble sometimes keeping track of all the groceries we get, and I know I haven't been good about tracking how much I'm eating out at work. Buuut...if we took out cash for those amounts like you mentioned that would make it much easier!! And it would be obvious if we spent more than we wanted...because there'd be no cash left! Thanks for the excellent idea... We have a budget that we follow and we have certain amounts that we need to spend on things, like groceries or eating out for lunch while I’m at work. The thing is, we don’t have time to be continually be checking what we’ve been spending online to see if we’re in our budget or not. So most of the time we usually spend more than we wanted too and many months don’t have anything extra left over to save.

I like you’re idea a lot! My wife has trouble sometimes keeping track of all the groceries we get, and I know I haven’t been good about tracking how much I’m eating out at work.

Buuut…if we took out cash for those amounts like you mentioned that would make it much easier!! And it would be obvious if we spent more than we wanted…because there’d be no cash left! Thanks for the excellent idea…

]]> By: Bethany Sue http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3105 Bethany Sue Tue, 08 Jan 2008 04:33:06 +0000 http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3105 We are still struggling on this topic and we have been married almost 2 years and have a baby! In some ways I see the point of a budget but, it always falls through for us. Great post We are still struggling on this topic and we have been married almost 2 years and have a baby! In some ways I see the point of a budget but, it always falls through for us. Great post

]]> By: MamaGeek http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3100 MamaGeek Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:54:41 +0000 http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3100 We use a custom Excel spreadsheet to manage our budget and all our investments. We back that thing up nightly - we'd be lost without it! We use a custom Excel spreadsheet to manage our budget and all our investments. We back that thing up nightly - we’d be lost without it!

]]> By: donna(mom24boyz) http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3099 donna(mom24boyz) Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:46:08 +0000 http://sensetosave.com/2008/01/07/bbc-1-my-responses/#comment-3099 We use quicken to track all of our expenses, but we have found (through many years of marriage :) that the easiest and simplest thing we could do is to set up a cash amount that we each get per week-- For example--my husband gets $50 and I get $200 a week--the only thing we debit is gas for our cars. So basically we take out $500.00 every 2 weeks--I buy food out of this for a family of 6, all clothing, toiletries and anything minor and misc.--such as say my kid wants to order a book from scholastic or I decide to join a friend for a cappacinio, or my kids need money for a class project--what ever--this is what I try to stick to. Now you see why I get 200 and he only gets 50--he simply buys an occaisional lunch out at work --I really buy all his clothes and so forth so he simply does not need that much on him. Most of the time he has money left over. So anything that we have left over after bills goes into savings down to a set minimum we like to keep in our checking. We have found this to be the simplest thing. It keeps us in check on how much we are eating out, how much "stuff" we are buying. Right now my goal is to shave off my amount spent on food--so I can have more to spend on say clothes! This tip came from my inlaws--they just keep a set amount of cash in a drawer in their house, when it is gone, its gone--that is their philosophy and they are debt free--including their house--they paid it off in less than 12 years!--I am sooo jealous! Well, sorry so long, but I thought I would share this budget idea with ya! We use quicken to track all of our expenses, but we have found (through many years of marriage :) that the easiest and simplest thing we could do is to set up a cash amount that we each get per week–

For example–my husband gets $50 and I get $200 a week–the only thing we debit is gas for our cars.

So basically we take out $500.00 every 2 weeks–I buy food out of this for a family of 6, all clothing, toiletries and anything minor and misc.–such as say my kid wants to order a book from scholastic or I decide to join a friend for a cappacinio, or my kids need money for a class project–what ever–this is what I try to stick to.
Now you see why I get 200 and he only gets 50–he simply buys an occaisional lunch out at work –I really buy all his clothes and so forth so he simply does not need that much on him. Most of the time he has money left over.

So anything that we have left over after bills goes into savings down to a set minimum we like to keep in our checking.

We have found this to be the simplest thing. It keeps us in check on how much we are eating out, how much “stuff” we are buying.

Right now my goal is to shave off my amount spent on food–so I can have more to spend on say clothes!

This tip came from my inlaws–they just keep a set amount of cash in a drawer in their house, when it is gone, its gone–that is their philosophy and they are debt free–including their house–they paid it off in less than 12 years!–I am sooo jealous!

Well, sorry so long, but I thought I would share this budget idea with ya!

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