It’s so easy to blow a budget. Part of the reason for this is we often underestimate our spending. One simple way to combat this: err on the side of overestimating.
Photo by StockSnap.
My parents taught me this trick as a kid. “Round your spending up,” my Dad would say, “because it’s better to spend less than you expect than more.” Personal finance blog Femme Frugality recommends more or less the same thing. Her golden rule for budgeting? “Budget Liberally. Spend Conservatively.” Femme explains:
Budgeting liberally means when you think you’ll spend $US75 on gas this month, you budget $US100. It means that however much you think you’ll need, you schedule in more. It means not fudging the numbers to an unrealistic low in order to fit your income.
When you get your numbers, you can see if you need to hustle to bring in more. This is far better than getting to the end of the month and realising you should have hustled to earn more, because now you don’t have enough food to put on the table.
Of course, spending conservatively means saving money when you can and being mindful about your expenses. It’s a simple rule to follow for better budgeting. Check out her full post at the link below.
The Golden Rule of Budgeting [Femme Frugality via Rockstar Finance]
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