Tips to Beating Budget Burnout
Budgets are key to keeping your spending in check and allowing you to avoid the stress that comes with trying to live beyond your means. But spending smart all the time can be exhausting, and even people who have budgeting their entire lives can get burnt out on budgeting. Here are some tips to avoid the burn out.
Set Realistic Goals
One of the main goals in budgeting is to save for some bigger things you weren’t able to before. By watching what you spend you are able to put more money towards a new house, retirement or even an emergency fund. But trying to save for too many things at the same time can stretch your budget too thin and become stressful trying to make it work.
Don’t Forget the Fun Money
Not allowing yourself any money in your budget for entertainment and fun shopping will lead you to burn out much quicker than if you even give yourself a little spending money each week. Keeping fun things from your budget may help you reach your goals quicker but eventually you will end up giving up on your budget because it’s just too hard.
Keep it in Check
There is no doubt that budgeting is important. You need to know where your money is going before you can attempt to use more of that money towards your financial goals. However it is critical that you don’t let your budget take over your life. Allow yourself some fun money every once in a while, and you don’t have to look at your budget every single day. It shouldn’t be the first thing you think about when you get up in the morning.
Change it Up
In some cases you have to step back and take a look at your budget plan. What worked for you a year ago may not work now. For example, when people get started with budgeting they may feel like a system like the envelope system works well for them. But after they have a handle on their spending, it may be too time consuming to keep up with. So you may decide to have a 2nd account for saving to keep spending and saving money separate to keep up with it. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate after a while to see if another system works better for you.
