Whether you are budgeting for your own personal finances or for your business, sticking to a weekly, monthly, or yearly budget is key. You want to make sure that you are always bringing in more money than you’re spending so that you have the opportunity to save money for future vacations, emergencies, or any number of other things. Sticking to a budget can be hard for some people, so here are 4 easy tips that will help you do it. 

Make The Most Income Possible

Making the most income you can will allow for extra spending money and more importantly more money for you to save each month. Your monthly budget may end up changing and growing as your income grows, but you should still try to keep it as low as possible. Maximize your take home income by working overtime, reaching sales goals at work, and getting frequent promotions. Being a hard worker will definitely feel like it was worth it when you are looking over your monthly budget. 

Keep A Budgeting Journal

Writing down every single purchase you make so that you know exactly what you’re spending is very helpful because it allows you to see on paper exactly how things add up. This includes groceries, gas, bills, and any other purchases. Especially when using credit or debit cards, it can be very easy to lose track of how much you are spending, and things add up quickly. In the same journal, you can also write down how much income you are bringing in (after taxes) each week. This way you can subtract the amount you spend from the amount you make so that you know how much you have left over. 

Give Yourself A “Fun Budget”

Giving yourself a monthly “fun budget” will help you to save money because it will limit how much you spend on non-necessities such as going out to dinner or drinks with friends, to the movies, or spending money on a new pair of shoes you don’t need. This budget will look different for everyone, but just make sure that once you reach this pre-decided number for the month you do not allow yourself to go over it. 

Cook At Home

Avoid eating out at restaurants as much as possible and cook at home more often. This will help you to avoid spending excess money on food because shopping for groceries and cooking yourself is much less expensive. If you still want to eat out once in a while, that’s OK and can be included in your “fun budget” if you’ve made one, but it should be reserved for special occasions, cravings, or times when you don’t have the time or energy to cook. 

Sticking to a budget is often easier said than done, but with these 4 simple tips even you will be able to accomplish this, month after month.