My new budgeting technique!

In the spirit of my newfound organization (and new workspace), I have been getting everything in order -- including the finances.

Now that I get paid every two weeks, the budgeting month to month wasn't working. Some months are two checks, others three checks. Sometimes I ran out of money before the month was up.

Instead, it made much more sense to budget paycheck to paycheck. So, basically, for each payday, I decide what bills fall from that date until the next payday.

Here's an example I made to show what I mean.


Paydays are at the top. My expenses are listed in order of due date. And the amounts for each are listed under the appropriate date. It helps me see how negative or positive I will be for each pay period.

I use google documents because I can check it from anywhere, anytime. It's working well so far.

What's your budgeting techniques? What works for you? Do you use Excel? A checkbook register? Quicken?



Dr. Ty
From the GAL Blog
www.getalifecampaign.com

America's poor? + Money saving grocery tips

Watching gas prices in CT go above $4 for only 87 octane, I can't help but wonder how folks making minimum wage at jobs 20 miles away from their homes are continuing to make ends meet here. It sickens me, actually.

Then, I saw this front page article on the coffee shop counter, and I was saddened to realize that we really might be moving toward an economic depression of sorts.

The article also made me realize how high groceries have been lately. Am I the only one who feels like she's getting less and less for her buck? My local grocer has plenty of deals on items like Celeste pizza-for-one (5 for $5... Zesty 4-cheese is the best) and Scooby snacks (3 boxes for $4), but the cost of fresh, healthy foods really adds up.

In lieu of that, and in an effort to save more $$, I found this Miami Herald article that gives tips on getting the most food for your money. Happy (cheaper) eats!


Dr. Ty
From the GAL Blog
www.getalifecampaign.com