Are you ready to stop stressing about money and take control of your finances? Setting up a financial binder is a great way to do that! Today I’m going to tell you how to use a budget binder to manage your finances and get on top of your spending!
A budget binder will help you create your budget, track your spending, and stick to your savings and debt payoff goals. Using a budget binder system helped me pay off over $6,000 in student loan debt in the past 6 months, while still saving money and living my life!
This post contains affiliate links, including those from Amazon, which means I may make a commission on sales at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out my Disclaimer for more information!
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE COMPLETE BUDGET BINDER
What is a budget binder?
Setting up a budget binder is an effective way to organize your finances and take control of your budget. It allows you to track spending, make plans for upcoming expenses, and save money! Here we’ll explain how to create a budget binder and get on the path toward financial success.
A budget binder is a place to keep all of your financial information. You can do your budgeting, set your financial goals, and track your income and expenses. Keeping all your financial information in one place will help you have easy access to everything.
I love using a budget binder to manage my finances because it makes the process of budgeting quick and easy when everything is kept in one place.
Benefits of using a budget binder
Using a budget binder has helped me stick to my budget and make some great progress toward paying off my debt (which is my current financial goal). It’s much easier to see the bigger picture of your finances when you have it all together. It’s a lot easier to write your budget when you can see your spending history and past income and expenses.
I created my complete budget binder system to be simple and easy to use. It includes all the worksheets you’ll need to stay on top of your budget, track your spending, stay on top of your financial goals, work on paying off debt, and track your savings.
Analyze Your Current Finances and Set Financial Goals
Before diving head first into your budget binder, it’s important to understand the current state of your finances. Analyze your bank statements and credit card bills to gain a complete picture of where you are currently spending money. Then set goals based on this data. These financial goals should be specific, attainable, and measurable so that you can track your progress throughout the budget binder setup process.
Identify Areas Where You Can Cut Unnecessary Expenses
Once you have a thorough understanding of your spending habits and financial goals, it’s time to identify areas where you can cut unnecessary expenses. Look for services or subscriptions that you no longer use that are taking away from your budget. Additionally, consider ways that you might be able to save on groceries, gas, and entertainment by taking advantage of coupons or discounts offered in your local area.
How to put your budget binder together
There are a few different ways you can use to “bind” your budget binder.
First, you can print it out and use a three-hole punch and regular binder to put it together. This can be one of the cheapest and easiest options because a lot of people already have these supplies on hand. They are also pretty cheap at your local dollar store or Walmart. You can still move pages around and add things as needed.
You can also send the file to your local Office Depot or staples to have it printed and bound. This is a good option if you want a more permanent feel, but you won’t be able to move around pages or add things throughout the year.
Another option is to use a disc-bound system. This is the method I used for my own budget binder. For this method, you will need plastic planner discs and a specific hole punch. I was able to get all the supplies for mine at Michael’s and Amazon. I love this method because I can still move the pages around as needed, but it feels more like an actual book or planner.
How to set up your budget binder
You want to set up your binder in a way that is easy for you to use and makes the most sense to you.
In the front of my binder, I included my financial goals, a yearly calendar to track annual expense payments, account log in information, and a bill tracker.
You can break your binder into sections by adding monthly tabs. I have a section for each month, as well as one for debt and yearly tracking. In the debt section, I have all my current debt balances, a tracker to color in as I pay down the balance, and a tracker to keep track of extra payments for each of my debts. In the yearly tracking section, I track my income, mortgage payments, sinking fund balances, expense checks from work, HSA and 401k contributions, and expenses like vet visits and car maintenance.
In each of my monthly sections, I include a budget worksheet and spending tracker for each of my paychecks. I also have a calendar that I use to track my bill due dates and my spending. A monthly sinking fund and check-in page also help me stay on top of my savings and debt payoff goals.
Check out this video to see my full budget binder setup!
Develop Systems to Track Your Progress and Celebrate Your Success!
Don’t forget to track your progress and celebrate your successes! As you stay on top of your budget binder, monitor your finances over time. What changes do you notice? Where are you succeeding? Where can you save more money? Keep track of the savings or changes, both big and small, that you’ve made throughout the process. Celebrating these successes will help to keep you motivated as you continue working toward financial peace.
Tips and tricks for using a budget binder
I’ve been using a budget binder system for a while now, and in that time I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for making it a success.
1. Keep it somewhere you’ll see it often – the more you are reminded to look over your budget, the more likely you’ll be to actually stick to it. I like to leave mine on our coffee table or out on my home office desk.
2. Keep it simple – the most important thing about your budgeting system is that it needs to work for you. Budgeting and tracking your spending doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. If it works for you keep doing it, and if it doesn’t then it’s time to try something new!
3. Find a way to make it fun – you don’t want managing your money to be something you dread. If you can find a way to make the process enjoyable (or at least not miserable!) then you will be more likely to keep yourself on track!
My budget binder has totally changed the way I manage my finances. I’ve been able to pay off debt while still saving money and working toward my financial goals. Get your copy of the complete budget binder and start managing your money today!
Read more:
5