Comments on: Dollars Spent

By: Lucy

Lucy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:54:28 +0000

i started budgeting a year ago, and it’s quite doing well. it really do make me save money.
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By: abbey1990

abbey1990 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:26:52 +0000

i just picked up an idea from you guys….i think i should start doing the same thing you do. that way i know where my money goes and it would help me budgeting as well.
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By: Evgeny

Evgeny — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:12:23 +0000

It agree completely. Small expenses seem very small. And in due course them becomes more and more. It seems to you “Ah, well 1 more superfluous dollar a month. Anything terrible”. And then you will look at dollar + dollar + more and more and still… In the end such sum runs that simply horror.

By: Dave Ozment

Dave Ozment — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:55:11 +0000

Thanks Holly, I appreciate your comment. I think budgeting comes down to prioritization. For any given month there are only so many dollars and you have to figure out how to allocate them against your real needs and then down the line. Then for future months you can start to think about how you can increase your income. “In the moment” that might sound impossible but its a pretty straightforward process.
Thanks!
Dave

By: Holly

Holly — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:46:29 +0000

This was a very well-written post…

I realized when we needed to cut back due to shrinking paychecks that our monthly outlay for things that used to be so basic, i.e. television, heat/cooling, gasoline, and a telephone, are literally putting us in a debt spiral.

But what can you do when you have 3 kids (2 w/cell phones) and can’t do w/out these ’seemingly’ necessary services?

By: Dave Ozment

Dave Ozment — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:50:10 +0000

Thanks Lara… I think its interesting to view our money or spending multiple ways to help round out understanding of the impact… rolling it up to monthy or annual are 2 unique views as is appreciating your daily burn rate. Once we understand the impacts across all 3 horizons we can make smarter decisions – as you demonstrated.

Thanks for sharing!
Dave

By: Dave Ozment

Dave Ozment — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:47:15 +0000

JM… sounds like a great approach that serves your household well. Thanks for sharing!

Dave

By: Lara

Lara — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:43:51 +0000

I tend to take expenses in the other direction. Rather than looking at the daily outlay, I look at the annual. For instance, when I was considering putting internet access on my cell phone, it would’ve increased the monthly bill by $50. That didn’t seem so bad. But when I thought of it in terms of $600 per year, that shed a whole new light on the deal. I passed!

By: Random Thoughts of a Jersey Mom

Random Thoughts of a Jersey Mom — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:22:53 +0000

When I make my annual budget, I have one column for different categories, a second column for month expenses, and a third column for yearly expenses. If something is paid monthly, I estimate what the yearly expense is for that category. If something is paid yearly, I put down how much it costs per month on average. That way, I get an average of monthly and yearly expenses.

There really are no surprises when I budget this way. Most expenses are easily estimated: insurance, utilities, mortgage, property tax, etc. The only variables are work expenses, home maintenance, auto maintenance, and health costs, which I set aside a chunk of money for.

Weekly, we give ourselves a specific amount for food, supplies, gas, entertainment, etc. So as long as we don’t go over our weekly set budget, we’re doing fine.
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