Can Budgeting Be Fun?!
If you think the idea of writing down all your expenses and doing some math sounds boring, then you must really like the idea of being in debt, broke, not knowing where your money is going, and constantly buying unnecessary items! Budgeting can be a fun, family-friendly activity that not only helps you learn to master your money, but also teaches the next generation valuable financial skills! Kids are taught a lot in school these days, but basic financial literacy is not covered in complete detail anymore, which leads to disastrous decisions as young adults.
Budgeting can be as simple or as complex as you like. Given my engineering degree and technical background, I personally enjoy spreadsheets and calculations, but I understand everyone is not the same. This is why I started Blue Collar Budgets, to offer personalized financial advice to individuals and couples! I know each person, even those that are married, have differing opinions about finances and how to achieve their goals. I enjoy learning about the various pathways to success clients have taken, because there is NOT one pathway to success; even though some financial gurus say you need to follow their baby steps to wealth! Wealth is not the end goal for everyone and I take that into account during coaching sessions.
You can use a visual aid, like the bucket/water analogy, mentioned in my previous blog post. Fill a large cup/bucket with water and use smaller cups to show where the monthly budget was spent. You could also buy a set or two of very cheap poker chips and use them to visualize where you are currently spending your income, or to plan for next month’s expenses. For those with kids, you may choose to get your kids involved with counting money if using the cash envelope system. In today’s world, most people do not carry cash and there are legitimate cons like losing the cash and it being irreplaceable. The cash envelope method only works if you do not have access to a debit or credit card, because then it gets very messy tracking expenses!
Another way to make budgeting fun is to have a no-spend day, weekend, or week (if you can handle that!). A no-spend event means exactly that, you do not spend any money whatsoever. You force yourself to prepare and utilize what you have around you, be it food, games, movies at home, etc. This can also be used for things like Netflix, Amazon, UberEats, etc. Usually you start out with a no-spend day and try to go 1 whole day (24 hours) without spending money; of course emergencies happen and should be handled as such! Then once you get 3-4 no-spend days under your belt to build confidence, you can try a no-spend weekend!
This doesn’t mean just lay around all weekend and eat chips! It means take advantage of free museums, art galleries, state parks (plenty of states have open/free weekends), go on a hike, browse a farmer’s market (be careful of the temptation to buy something), or anything that makes you happy but doesn’t cost you anything! Personally, I enjoy a nice walk outdoors (weather permitting), browsing a book store, learning a new skill from Youtube (the free version, not Youtube TV!), or baking something sweet using ingredients on-hand already!
The point is that you can always change your perspective about budgeting, if you open your mind to it. Budgeting doesn’t have to be just endless spreadsheets (although I personally like that method), you can discuss and handle your budget in any way that you choose. At Blue Collar Budgets, I work within your framework to help you see your future self and the level of Financial Fitness you desire! I will push you to get the most fun, excitement, and value from your budget, and help you increase your income as well. However, the important aspect is that you learn to love budgeting in your own way, so that you take what I teach and put it into practice!
Practice makes Perfect
