Budget Yourself

Image Credit: Traffic Sign

STOP spending unnecessary amounts of money! STOP buying food and drinks from the vending machine! STOP buying coffee from Starbucks or the gas station before class! 

The first step in saving money is to START planning your spending. 

I feel like I used to be the worst at doing this. If I was thirsty, I would get a drink from the vending machine. If I was tired before class, I would stop and get a five dollar coffee. If I wanted a snack, I would stop at a convenience store. Let me know in the comments if you do this as well so I do not feel alone! 

I felt like I was spending so much money on food and drinks, but I never had anything at home. The solution to my problem was just taking the time to plan my spending and budget my money. 

It is a lot cheaper to buy coffee and drinks from the grocery store and bring them to class than it is to stop at Starbucks or the gas station each day. In the long run, it will save you so much money. 

The key is to create a budget. Creating a budget may sound boring or difficult, but it is not as hard as it seems. Having a budget can help you feel like you have yourself together and can be an adult.

The first thing you need to do is list out all of the income that you make in a month. If you have multiple jobs, you need to list out how much money you are bringing home each month. The next thing is to list all expenses that you have that are mandatory. These include things you must pay for like rent, utilities, a car payment, an insurance payment, a loan payment, or anything else that you have to use your money to pay for each month.

Listing income and expenses is the start of creating a budget, but it can go a long way to see where and how you are spending your money. It will help you plan what you spend so you do not find yourself spending money for unnecessary things. 

Let me know in the comments, or email me, if creating a budget has helped you save money.