Home Management Binder: Budget

If you missed it, the overall post about the home management binder is here.

Ah, the budget. It is such a scary thing to tackle finances...or it used to be. I decided one day that in order to stay on top of my finances I couldn't rely on receipts. Receipts cause paper clutter. And it builds up until I can't deal with it anymore and just throw it all away, which results in us totally forgetting our budget and buying extra Blue Bell ice cream, which is not good for your figure OR your wallet. This resulted in me making a very small printable for my wallet. It was about the size of a dollar bill and I taped it to my check book. Any time I bought anything, I would record it on the piece of paper. [Cameron would let me know if he spent anything as well.] Once a week, I would update our budget totals and share them with Cameron so we were on the same page. It worked brilliantly, but it was a lot of work. I found myself re-totaling everything up all the time. I needed a ledger. And I needed a little more space to keep things clean.

Enter the binder. [Click image to download blank printable version.]

I'll spare you the actual details of our budget for September. It's not very impressive...we're on a student loans salary right now. But I will say that it saves me so much time! My binder goes with me wherever I go. I write down the total while the grocer is bagging my groceries or right after I get back in the car from pumping gas. I can make sure all of our utilities and insurance payments are on time and I know exactly what date they were paid. I know immediately how much we have left in each budget. There is no guess work.

Finances aren't such a daunting task when they're done as you go!

In my binder, I printed 3 of these, front and back, so I have enough for a year. [4 to a page, cut in half]. I am blown away by the peace of mind this little piece of paper gives me. It also allows me to have more fun, because I can purchase fun things guilt free when I know where the money is coming from!

Up Next: Kitchen [Meal Planning + Shopping Lists + Freezer Tally]

The Night We've Waited For...

One of our family new year's resolutions is to hold family home evening every single week. It's an opportunity to spend time together as a family and learn about church-related subjects in the home. We tried having family home evening when we first got married but it was so...awkward. Without children or siblings, we'd just end up watching a movie or having a normal night. When there's just 2 of you at home, it's really hard to distinguish just what makes a night "family night".

I set out to tackle this problem, because I really believe in the importance of establishing the habit of family night.

This is what I came up with:



Now our family home evenings go about like this:

• Sing a hymn that goes along with the lesson. Cam plays the piano, we both sing.


• We switch off who says the opening prayer.


• We go over finances. I have a little printout in my wallet that has our budget outline in it. Every time I pay a bill or make a purchase, I record the amount in the budget. That way, every Monday it takes me about 5 minutes to calculate how much we have left in each budget. We talk about upcoming expenses, things we'd like to use the miscellaneous budget for, and potential date ideas.


• We check in with each other on how we're doing spiritually. How are our family prayers? Personal prayers? What are we studying in the scriptures personally? As a family? Are we happy with how family scripture study is going? etc. We also set a goal together that we want to work on the next week.


• We talk about our relationship. We start off with 3 compliments and an itch. The nice thing is that after you've given 3 sincere compliments to the other person, it's pretty hard to come up with an "itch". BUT, if there is ever something we really need to talk about, this is an easy way to get it out in the open. And then we do 3-minute massages. (Honestly, these normally wait until right before bedtime, but sometimes we sit on opposite ends of the couch and do foot rubs.) I strongly believe that physical touch is an essential part of feeling like you're "on the same page." It's really hard to be annoyed with each other if you're touching, and good feelings between spouses invites the spirit into our home. We also go over current stressors. If I don't know what is stressing Cam out, I can't help relieve that stress and vice versa. Also, a sure-fire way to increase the love you feel for your spouse or your spouse feels for you is to get rid of whatever it is that is setting off red flags in his or her mind.


• The last part of the paper is a week-at-a-glance calendar. There's VERY little space here, for a reason. This is where we make sure we're both planning on the same things for the upcoming week. It has virtually eliminated any freak outs caused by "You didn't TELL me you were working overtime tonight." And, "No. My work party is tonight. We have to be there at 6. You'll have to cancel with so-and-so." We outline major events in the upcoming week.


• We have a lesson. (Cam and I switch off who gives it).


• We have an activity. (This is anything from organizing the nursery to going on a walk to going to concert to playing a card game etc.)


• We have a treat. (And a closing prayer)

For a while this paper was posted on our fridge for the week, but since we've tried it for almost 2 months now, we've decided to save some paper because it has worked beautifully. I plopped mine in a frame and we use a dry-erase marker to fill it out every week. It sits on our end table next to the couch where we will see it all the time. Here's what it looks like all filled out: (This was last week's)



Every time someone has asked about it, they inevitably ask how long it takes to get through. 15 minutes tops. 10 minute lesson, and then a treat means family night is still about a half hour long, but we are so on the same page and prepared for the week, the difference is incredible.

And we feel like we're on the same team.

I think that's worth every second.

Money Management Week: Day 5

#5 Get out of Debt

Money is a heck of a lot easier to manage when you minimize your debt. Plan, plan, plan ahead to get ready for those hefty expenses without going into debt, like buying a car, or having a child. You might not be able to pay for it all at once, but if you can manage to put some money down, your interest payments will be lower and you will not be constantly making monthly payments. Do NOT go into debt for things that you really can't afford. Yes. At the moment, I really want an entire bedroom set in this beautiful mahogany wood. Unfortunately, it's not in the cards as of the checkbook this morning. I've contented myself with the dresser-which is a need...we refurbished ours to give to the baby and two nightstands-which is a want. My savings can handle that. Be smart...that's the best advice I can give. Let your money work for you!

If you haven't had the chance to enter our Dave Ramsey Giveaway, you can enter here!

Lindsay graduated from Brigham Young University with her Bachelor’s in English. She has lived in Colorado for a little over a year. Her husband loves her because she makes him laugh. Her daughter loves her because she makes the best food in the world. :) Lindsay loves her book club, quilting, her family, and going places-the library, the zoo, hiking, sporting events. She loves to GO!

Money Management Week: Day 4

#4 Save

Save money for a rainy day. Save for a speeding ticket. Save for those emergencies, getaways, things that are unexpected. I'm all about planning ahead...but sometimes you need a little extra cash in the bank for that spontaneous part of life. Trust me on the value of saving. Your car might break down, or you really might need a "getaway weekend" with your spouse. Either way, you'll be darn pleased you've got a couple extra hundred in the bank. If I'm being really good, I will put any extra money left over from our budget into savings. Save, save, save. Even if it's just $20. You'll be glad that you did.

One thing that always confused me is that we're told to save, but at the same time we're told to invest. I never knew what the magic amount in the bank account was that made it alright to invest. Dave Ramsey has a great, clearly outlined 7-step approach to this dilemma. It's completely changed my approach to saving! Have you entered the giveaway for his new book: The Money Answer Book? Check it out here!

Lindsay graduated from Brigham Young University with her Bachelor’s in English. She has lived in Colorado for a little over a year. Her husband loves her because she makes him laugh. Her daughter loves her because she makes the best food in the world. :) Lindsay loves her book club, quilting, her family, and going places-the library, the zoo, hiking, sporting events. She loves to GO!

Money Management Week: Day 3 {& A DAVE RAMSEY GIVEAWAY!}

Welcome to halfway through Money Management Week! To celebrate we're kicking off our Dave Ramsey giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a fresh off the press, newly revised edition of Dave Ramsey's Money Answer Book: Quick Answers for Your Everyday Financial Questions.

Dave Ramsey has got our new little family off to a great start financially. Because of him, we have a PLAN. We have realistic {and slightly weird} goals and we know how to achieve them. I immediately fell in love with Dave's financial philosophies when C & I took Financial Peace University right after we got married. His personality and motivational nature is addicting. He breaks things into little bite sized pieces to make them easier to understand and undertake. This book is no different than watching the man speak to a live audience. His charismatic, encouraging, and logical voice is prevalent on every page and you feel energized and ready to DO something as soon as you put it down.

What I most appreciate about Dave's outlook, is his understanding of marriage and how money affects it. He is a huge advocate for balance. Most of all, his recommendations just make sense! If I can logically put together and understand what he's teaching, I can move forward in confidence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a little bit more direction in their financial life. So what are you waiting for?!

To enter the giveaway, tell me 1 thing you want to be/do/have/etc. in the next 5 years.

I'll pick a winner after there are 50 entries. You can get additional entries by mentioning this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your own personal blog. Just be sure to come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did & a link to where you mentioned it!

Now, back to Money Management Week.

#3 Track your Expenses

Hi! It's Lindsay again. How did your budget turn out? Today we're talking about the grunt work of actually using your budget.

When we moved into the real world, we found out a very important lesson.

LIFE IS EXPENSIVE.

Bummer. Rent, food, gas, entertainment...it seemed like everything cost more than it did when we were in college.  It was so frustrating to see our happy paycheck come into the bank and then a couple days later, we wouldn't have any money. Where was it going? I mean, really.

A lot of people use Quicken to figure out the question, where is my money going? Quicken frustrated me-so I rely on Excel instead. Either one works. Basically, I just type in the amounts from each transaction into their category...and add them all together.  Excel lets me split receipts and put those diapers in their rightful place. So $30 goes in the diaper budget and 100.54 goes in the grocery budget. Here's an example of ours.  I made up the numbers, but you get the idea.

In truth, I don't track my expenses as often as I should. But it's useful when I feel like our money is disappearing.

Lindsay graduated from Brigham Young University with her Bachelor’s in English. She has lived in Colorado for a little over a year. Her husband loves her because she makes him laugh. Her daughter loves her because she makes the best food in the world. :) Lindsay loves her book club, quilting, her family, and going places-the library, the zoo, hiking, sporting events. She loves to GO!

Note: I received a free copy of Dave Ramsey's book, but the opinions and recommendations expressed in this post are my own. I intend to keep all reviews completely honest.

Money Management Week: Day 2

#2 Make A Budget

Yup. You knew this had to be on here somewhere. Figure out where your money goes-so you know how much you can have to play with and how much you need to put away for a rainy day. :)

Our budget is very unique, and it changes probably every 6 months or so. There are categories that are generally about the same each month-rent, utilities, cell phone, and cable, categories that vary-food, clothing, entertainment; and categories that are specific to us-diapers, travel, etc. Make your budget personal for you. If I'm trying to spend $300 a month on groceries, there is no way diapers are going into that category-I would never be able to stay in my budget.  Just make rough estimates, try to stick to it, and see how you do. It will take you a couple of months to get a workable budget. Add your car insurance payment into your budget. Set aside money for those plane tickets  that you're going to be needing during the summer. Try and make your budget as helpful as possible so you aren't suddenly surprised because you forgot a semi-annual bill or an anniversary.

Oh yeah, and if you hate having to be accountable for every penny...add a running money/allowance category into your budget. Take $20 cash out every month-and do whatever with it. No questions asked. :)

To get you going on your own budget, check out these free downloadable templates!

• 4-Step Budget Template by Life After College


• Personal Monthly Budget by My Money Shrugged


• Or you can get Lindsay's Budget Template here

Join us tomorrow for Day 3: Tracking Your Expenses!

Did you miss Day One? Check it out here!


Lindsay graduated from Brigham Young University with her Bachelor’s in English. She has lived in Colorado for a little over a year. Her husband loves her because she makes him laugh. Her daughter loves her because she makes the best food in the world. :) Lindsay loves her book club, quilting, her family, and going places-the library, the zoo, hiking, sporting events. She loves to GO!

Money Management Week: Day 1

Greetings. :)  To start off with, let's pretend that I am a close enough friend to even ask this question...So. How are your finances? Do you know where your money goes? Kristin allowed me to guest blog and offer up my two cents on being financially savvy. So here we go. This week, you'll get 5 easy ideas for realistically managing your money and staying on top of your finances. On top of that, Call Me Kristin will be giving away a copy of Dave Ramsey's Money Answer Book: Quick Answers for Your Everyday Financial Questions!

image via anh-minh

#1 Keep a Checkbook

In this day and age, thanks to your handy-dandy debit card, every transaction you make shows up on your bank statement. So why bother keeping a checkbook? Because there is a constant flow of money in your checking account-well, at least there is at my house. Money comes in. I write checks for rent, utilities, cable, tithing (church offering) and various other bills. I go grocery shopping, pick up the photos, and buy a new book, etc. A couple days later, my husband wants to pay for two airline tickets because there's a great deal. He asks how are the finances? If I'm not keeping up my checkbook, my only answer is the online bank statement amount.  I check online, and hey-we've got $800 in our account. He buys the tickets...and a couple of days later, we are in the red. What happened? The  online bank statement doesn't show those checks you wrote but haven't cleared. Keeping a checkbook is CRUCIAL. I highly recommend reconciling your checkbook every week/two weeks. That means writing down every transaction in the check register. Yes. I know. Make sure that your online balance (minus the un-cleared checks) matches the balance in your checkbook. It takes some time, but it is worth it. I have never had an overdraft charge. And I can answer confidently when the husband says, how are the finances? I got my Bachelor's degree in English...which translates into I AM TERRIBLE AT ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION.  More than once I've "lost" over $50.00 Not kidding. Balancing the checkbook on a regular basis keeps you in the black. Trust me. Some weeks it takes me forever, but I know where every penny goes, and eventually everything balances. If I can do it with my HORRIFIC math skills-you can do it.

Keeping a checkbook doesn't have to be outdated. There are so many C.U.T.E checkbook covers out there. Pick up one for a pretty little reminder to stay up-to-date on your finances!

• Apples & Pears by Cafe Boulet


• Daisy Row by Nancy Gamon


• Aqua Floral Clutch by J. Carter Handmade


• Cherry Wallflower by Hot Pink Lemonade


• Floral Gold by JB Accessories

Join us tomorrow for Day 2: Conquering the Dreaded Budget!

Lindsay graduated from Brigham Young University with her Bachelor's in English. She has lived in Colorado for a little over a year. Her husband loves her because she makes him laugh. Her daughter loves her because she makes the best food in the world. :) Lindsay loves her book club, quilting, her family, and going places-the library, the zoo, hiking, sporting events. She loves to GO!