Setting My Intention

Clearing Clutter. Finding Joy. Living Slow

  • Home
    • Privacy and Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
  • New? Start Here!
  • Work With Me
    • Affiliates
  • At Home
    • Decluttering Your Home
    • Meal Planning
      • Recipe
    • Organizing
  • In Relationships
    • Motherhood
    • Family
    • Self Care
  • In Life
    • Blogging
    • Budgeting
    • Fitness
    • Goals
    • Slow Living
  • FREE Resources
    • Top 10 Blogging Resources
    • FREE Meal Planning Printables
    • FREE 10 Step Decluttering Process
  • SHOP
    • Terms and Conditions
You are here: Home / In Life / Budgeting / Budgeting: a Mid-Year Check-in

June 13, 2016 by Angela

Budgeting: a Mid-Year Check-in

In 2016, our family’s one and only new years resolution was to begin and maintain a budgeting system. Armed with a lot of head knowledge and different tools, we decided on a zero based budget and wanted to use the free EveryDollar App. So it’s June now – how have we been doing?

new years resolution check in on budgeting

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. Thank you for your support in this way!

 

The two Hiccups to Budgeting so far

January and February were great. March came along and I was paid 3 times versus 2 times that month. I’m not usually one to complain about more money (who is!?!), but the fact that it was out of the ordinary for our monthly budget means that it completely threw me off.

I didn’t exactly know what to do with the excess, so I ignored it. That, of course, threw off my numbers for the next month and it wasn’t a zero based budget at all. We were in the black, though, versus the red, and so I just pressed on.

At the end of April, I took a trip to the Grand Canyon with my mom and two sisters. I worked those numbers into our budget after the fact, using some of the excess from March.

It’s June now and we’re back to doing an actual zero based budget.

Lessons Learned

I recently finished Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits–to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life by Gretchen Rubin. One of the points she makes is that any change can trigger a “stop” to the habits we’re trying to begin and maintain. I experienced that with the extra pay period in March and the vacation in April.

Rubin advises to pick a specific date or time to begin a habit again if one is faced with an unavoidable stopping point. She also encourages us to make “If, then” statements before we begin a new habit. She writes, “Another reason to avoid stopping a good habit is that, sadly, starting again is often far harder than starting the first time.” (p. 113)

My new habit of inputting our daily expenses into the budget app was fragile after only two months. The change in monthly income and the vacation triggered a “stop” for me for  a few weeks. Thankfully, EveryDollar sends you an email  to gently remind you that you haven’t put in any data for the month, or that you need to set up a new budget for the upcoming month.

budgeting mid year review

My “if, then” statements for budgeting have become:

“If I forget to put in my expenses for the day or week, then I will start again tomorrow.”

“If I don’t know how to budget this ‘out of the ordinary’ line item, then I will continue to input my daily expenses.”

In other words, I won’t throw my hands up and give up altogether when out of the ordinary line items come my way. Also, when I do get out of the daily habit of entering expenses, then I will start again the next day. As always, my mantra with all habits rings true here – progress, not perfection is the goal.

Things to work on in the next 6 months

When I first set up our budget, my husband and I sat down to take a look at it and make any adjustments necessary. We haven’t been doing that on a regular basis. Keeping a budget when there is only one person spending is a lot easier than when there are two!

So these are the things we’ll be working on to make budgeting a success in our household:

  • logging daily expenses made (figuring out a good way for my husband to be able to log in the expenses he makes)
  • weekly spending reviews together as a couple
  • monthly budget meetings to think through special events or expenses for the month

Did you make any resolutions this year? How’s it going 6 months later?

This post will be shared at these awesome link ups.

You might also like:

The Four Tendencies and habits

Related

About Angela

Wife. Mom to three boys. Writer. Reader. Aspiring Minimalist. Lover of chocolate and fitness. She loves blogging about the ways she is finding success in simplifying life one step at a time. Her mantra is "Progress, not Perfection."

❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. Abby says

    June 13, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    I can’t believe it’s been six months already! That tip about restarting a habit on a certain date seems so small, but what a great idea! That’s something I need to remember when I try to lose weight after the baby is born.

    • Angela says

      June 13, 2016 at 9:39 pm

      I know time flies doesn’t it Abby! Yes, absolutely set a new restart date – and not the following new year! ?

  2. melinda says

    June 13, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Oh, Angela, I needed that re-start tip! I’ve fallen, ok jumped, off the GF, and sugar free horse!
    Time to go again!
    Thank you!

    • Angela says

      June 13, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      You’re welcome Melinda! It’s never too late to start again. Each time we learn new strategies and new things about ourselves.

  3. Amila says

    June 17, 2016 at 10:45 am

    I like the idea of budgeting.It always take me to a target.Interesting post with lot of information.

    • Angela says

      June 28, 2016 at 7:26 am

      I like the idea of budgeting too Amila – actually doing it is a lot harder! 🙂

  4. Marilyn Lesniak says

    June 23, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and tweeted.

    • Angela says

      June 28, 2016 at 7:10 am

      Thanks Marilyn!

Hi Friend! I’m Angela

Welcome to my blog where I write about simplifying life in small, manageable steps and creating healthy habits. You'll find inspiration, practical tips and community here for the decluttering you're doing in your own life. (whether that's physical, mental, or emotional clutter) Thanks so much for stopping by! Read More…

Courtney Carver’s Soulful Simplicity Course

Let’s Connect!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

How to Start Making Changes in 5 Important Areas

FREE Step by Step Instructions!

You feel overwhelmed by your space and you don't know where to start. Here is a 1 page guide that will walk you step by step through decluttering any space in your home.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Your 1 page "cheatsheet" is on the way!

Top Posts & Pages

  • 7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
    7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
  • How to Start Swedish Death Cleaning
    How to Start Swedish Death Cleaning
  • Basement Clutter Tour
    Basement Clutter Tour
  • Basement Clutter Reveal
    Basement Clutter Reveal
  • Lagom: What it is and How to Start Living It
    Lagom: What it is and How to Start Living It

Affiliate Disclosure

This website may include affiliate links. These companies pay a small commission to me for sharing their products and services at no additional cost to you.

Disclosure

All information on this blog is from the author’s experience and is not intended to be professional advice. When using ideas from this blog, readers should use common sense and caution.

Amazon Associates

Setting My Intention participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate ad program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Copyright

Copyright Setting My Intention 2018. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share content from this website with a reference to the website and link back to the original page or post.

 

Copyright 2016 Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design On Genesis Framework