I had to put those extra “a’s” in the title to show how haaaard it is for me to budget.

Recently, I got some pretty deflating news from HR department at my office, blah blah blah I owe them money. A pretty penny. Which stinks, because this puts in limbo all the plans I had been making travel-wise for the next year.

So onto my budgeting inspirations and ideas…

My most helpful tip for budgeting is thinking back to a time when you actually had no money to even budget. Once, I had to use my treasured dollar coins and a 2-dollar bill to buy enough gas to get to my 2nd job, 27 miles and an hour commute one way. Whenever I think about that moment now, it gives me the motivation to not only stockpile 2 dollar bills, but to make damn sure I am never put in that situation again.

I also like to round. Whenever I make a purchase, I round up the total. So when I am balancing my checkbook myself, I always have an overage. I then transfer that overage into my savings account. It seems ridiculous, shamelessly OCD even to transfer $.32 here, $1.17 there. But in about two months I was able to round/transfer $75 into savings! Eventually it does help!

If you do balance your checkbook but don’t like to round or do math or hate online banking, you can always cashback yourself. When you buy something and it asks if you want cashback, ask for $10 back. That is usually the lowest denomination. Then when you get home, stick it in a handy-dandy bank. Here is mine:

The best part about using an old coffee container? Your money smells scrumptious!

I also like to watch this for inspiration. No more milkshakes if it means a new camera for me!

When you get the purchasing itch, research! Bigger purchases require quality research, which is just as fun as making the actual purchase. I want to redo our living room, but instead of getting overwhelmed and being frustrated that I can’t do it all at once, I have decided to start small. Change the rug. that is a whole other article about the options and different places to find them, but that one purchase will help me feel better about my constant need for change, but won’t break the bank.