This month, I have yet to update YNAB. I know, it’s sending me into a little bit of a panic. I usually update it a few times a week, or at least once a week at the bare minimum. It’s so easy to just pull out all of my receipts every week and enter my expenses.
So then why haven’t I done it yet? Well, first off because a lot of my computer time is being taken up by NaNoWriMo (just about at the halfway point). Also, even with all my tips on staying healthy, I’ve managed to catch a cold, so I’m trying to get a lot of sleep. (Thank you, plague filled co-workers.) But mostly, I’m lazy. My most updated budget spreadsheet is on my flash drive which is in the other room.
But the good thing about this? I know I’m doing fine with my budget. I haven’t spent a whole lot of money yet this month, but I know that every expense so far fits right in with where I’ve budgeted. It’s becoming a habit. It’s taken almost a year, but I’m finally in the habit of thinking about spending money before I spend it.
It’s a weird feeling, to be honest. I’m getting a little antsy about not having updated my budget. I’m sure I’ll get to it later today or tomorrow. But it’s really great that it’s no longer a concern – that I can stay within my budget without constantly having to use a spreadsheet.
Megan is a 40-something government employee in the Washington, DC area. She got interested in Personal Finance when she got out of college and realized that her paycheck wasn’t going to go as far as she had hoped. Since starting this blog, she has managed to buy a house and make a solid start on her retirement goals, and hopes to help others do the same. Here is her story:
In 2007, I was a gainfully employed 20-something with no debt but not a lot of knowledge about personal finance. It was a co-worker’s comment about Roth IRAs that sent me to the internet, searching for information. It was then that I realized that I really didn’t know a whole lot about personal finance and that my current financial situation was due a lot to inherent frugal tendencies, generous family members, a fear of debt, and good luck. While that was working for me, clearly I needed a better plan.
While I had no debt, I was also pretty much living paycheck to paycheck and not worrying about going over budget (I say this as if I had a real budget) because I had an emergency fund set aside to cover any overages.
Except that’s not what an emergency fund is for.
So I did a lot of research, read a lot of blogs, and decided that I needed a plan. I needed to budget. I needed to know what I was spending my money on. I needed to prepare for the future.
I decided to create a blog not only to make myself accountable to others but also to share the knowledge that I gained along the way. I’ve learned so much from my fellow bloggers, and I hope that my readers can find something useful in what I have to share as well.
“I’m getting a little antsy about not having updated my budget.”
Oh how I can relate! I don’t feel like my life is organized until I get my budget in order! It’s key!