ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIG LEAGUES?!
I don't feel ready for the big leagues. I gave up sugar (my best friend and emotional support animal) right when our life turned upside down a bit this week. What kind of moron gives up cupcakes (and caramel creamer with a splash of coffee and frozen cookie dough in the bath tub) when they need it most?
My stress levels are telling me I'm not ready for this week of the challenge, but my preparedness says LETS DO THIS THING.
This week, my friend, we are tackling a category of running the household we have so far left untouched:
MONEY.
Yup, you read that right. We are going to get a handle on our finances. Are you ready? Remember.... I'm doing this right alongside you (and I'm your biggest cheerleader!).
Week 9: Tracking Expenses
Small Habit: Track Expenses Daily
This is a baby step for us to take to get our finances in order. If creating a budget and sticking to it seems like a daunting task, this is your first step towards that. If you are a master budgeter and know the ins and outs of your finances, this small habit for will be a little assessment of your spending to reflect on.
Either way, we are showing up for ourselves. We are making our home life more simple and easy, because we deserve to live in peace, not constant chaos.
Here are some options for you:
Download an expense tracker app and utilize it daily
Use my free expense tracker sheet daily (it's in your inbox if you are a subscriber, if not you can get it here).
Get a free check register from your bank and take it with you everywhere to track expenses in real time
Cue: Decide when you are most mentally prepared for this task. If it gives you anxiety at first, your cue could be sitting down in comfy clothes with some chamomile tea to do it. If you are more of a morning person when it comes to tasks like this, go through the day before's expenses over breakfast. Either way, make a ritual that you can stick with and tells your brain, ok, now I'm in business mode.
Reward: I say the same thing every week: get creative! We each have different motivations and rewards that drive us. For some it may be the feeling of accomplishment and organization that does the trick, for some it may mean a little treat.
Weekly Challenge: Make a Budget
Ok, this task is going to have to be completely customized to what your current level of budgeting is.
If you are one of the masters, then your challenge is to go over your existing budget and fine tune it.
If you are familiar with your finances but don't have a formal budget, try making an official one.
If you are so completely overwhelmed by this thought, try picking a category of your finances and simply writing down how much things cost in that category every month (like streaming services or insurance)
Because I am right there alongside of you in this, I have resources for you! I have a budget sheet workbook in the shop that ranges from doing all the work for you (all you have to fill in is totals), to completely ready for you to customize. The pack also comes with a monthly income tracker for those who have multiple streams of income that can be hard to keep track of.
Some tips for starting a budget:
Check if your bank has an app. Oftentimes banks will have free budgeting and spending trackers on their app. If you are not a writing things down person, this may be perfect for you!
On that note.... look through the App Store! There are different budgeting apps you can use as well.
Start a budget binder. You can stock it with my budget trackers, and add folders to keep receipts or other important financial documents all in one place.
Find a budgeting notebook or journal in a template you like.
Depending on your personality: break it up into little pieces (do one category at a time), or sit down and spend a couple of hours to do it all at once.
PS- I just read this book called "Smart Women Finish Rich", learned a TON, and made a lot of good changes.
YOU GOT THIS!