Ahhh budgeting.
In the span of six years, I've graduated from pencil and paper, to increasingly fancy excel templates, to YNAB (referral link).
Over the past couple of years, whenever my brother's been in town or I've been visiting him, I noticed he'd say "Y-NAB!" and whip out his phone after every purchase. It was easy to forget what "YNAB" (why-nab) meant, but every time he spelled it out for me again ("you need a budget!") it was like hearing a word of advice (which I had already taken, as we've been budgeting since 2007).
The first time we created a budget, we realized just how much we were spending, for instance, on eating out. It was shocking, considering we rarely went out to an actual restaurant. All the little snacks and treats were adding up. Setting up a budget and consciously spending (and saving) allowed us to save nearly $1000 a month at that point in our lives (which was great because we returned to the US at the start of the recession in 2008) . The budget also had unintended results. I realized that I could make (food-wise) almost anything I wanted. For instance, if we were tempted by white chocolate cranberry muffins, I'd go home and make two dozen, freeze them, and then have them on hand for whenever the craving came. I acquired a new level of creativity in the kitchen while saving money.
So here I am today, 2014, and yes, I still need a budget. I must admit, I had been slacking on budgeting since starting graduate school. It was easy not to plan ahead for lunch and instead grab something from a campus cafe. Then, I wouldn't record the purchase as if that would make it disappear. I kept telling myself that I'd remember lunch next week. Guess what...it never happened. Poor L was still plugging in all the expenses he made. I wasn't being fair to him, the budget or myself. So the winter break gave me needed time to reflect on my life and the ways in which I have been slipping away from conscious living.
YNAB has a free 34-day trial, so I gave it a shot. I didn't need 34 days. It's really, really well-designed and pretty awesome. The graphics are fun, and even while the screen is loading you are reminded of why you want to save with shiny jars full of palm trees and safes overflowing with savings. I recently started using a smart phone after a long resistance, and I added the app to try tracking expenses on the go (like my brother!). It's really worth the price, but I always look for coupon codes before buying things online. Luckily, I found one after I read this. After purchasing YNAB, they sent me an e-mail with my own referral link, so now you can save $6 too (and earn me the same) by using it.
Happy saving.
