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Bad at Budgeting: How to Be Frugal When You Suck with Money

June 25, 2019

/ girl talklife hacksstylesummer

One of my main goals here at Yes, Plz is to share little tips and tricks to make your life easier and happier. Small daily changes that can make a big difference over time. Maybe it’s a way to cut a little extra sugar from your day, a way to be a little more efficient, you know just little life hacks! Today on the agenda I’m sharing a few ways that I made small tweaks that led to major financial changes, aka how to be frugal when you suck with money. An easy way to improve when you’re bad at budgeting!

bad at budgeting

Here’s a little background on my finances and this is a very personal post. Please do not judge and just know I’m being very open and honest in hopes this can help someone else too! SO here’s the lowdown- RJ and I have separate bank accounts and split most of our bills 50/50. I knew I was making more than my bills, yet I found myself with little money left over each month. I finally said enough and asked RJ to help me assess my finances. I knew I was bad at budgeting, but I had no idea what damage I was really doing.

I have two bank accounts and one emergency credit card with a $200 limit (this is just a personal choice, I know I’m bad at budgeting so I don’t give myself the option to charge because I know I’d get carried away). RJ and I sat down one evening at the very end of the month and pulled every single charge from that month. I would read it out and he would put it under the correct category (ie. groceries, gas, Amazon, Target, etc. etc.). We then highlighted any necessary charges (phone bill, utilities, business expenses, etc.). We added everything up and it was shocking. I was constantly spending $25 here, $30 there, $40 here and it was adding up so fast. Amazon Prime was a big one. In addition to clothes, I would just buy random things because it’s as easy as opening the app and swiping my finger. It was dangerous.

After looking at everything, I seriously was upset. I knew I was not the best with money but I truly had no idea how bad at budgeting I was. I cried that evening, I cried the next day. It was truly a wake-up call I needed. Then it was time for a change! Here are a few small changes I made that have already made a huge difference in my budget, without really affecting my day-to-day:

HOW TO STOP BEING BAD AT BUDGETING: 

  • Assess and Digest: I think this is the number one thing that helped my spending ways. Seeing it all laid out on paper, you cannot deny where your money is going. Create an excel sheet and categorize everything. You can see where it’s necessary and where it’s definitely a bad habit. 
  • Make a Plan: After I had my wake up call, I knew it was time for a plan. I looked at all the money I was spending and decided what could be cut back. I use the Mint App on my phone and can set a budget for every single category of my spending. This helps me see what money I should spend each month and what money I can put into savings. It connects to your bank accounts and each evening I go through and make sure all my purchases are going into the correct category. You can connect your bills to this account and see when they’re due. It also gives you push notifications for when you’re close to exceeding a budget or if you have gone over. I cannot say enough about this app, I love it! Download it and play around, it’s easy to get the hang of. 
  • Cut the Temptation: After seeing the damage, I realized some things were just too tempting for me. Mainly Target and Amazon. I seriously was addicted. I was spending $200+ every time I went to Target and was going twice a week if not more. And what did I have to show for it? Nothing that I could even remember. So, I stopped going to Target. In fact, I didn’t go for almost TWO MONTHS! Can you believe it? Sad, but I’m very proud of myself. Another place of major temptation is Amazon. Which is hard because Amazon is actually a big part of my business. I do make some money sharing Amazon finds on here and I couldn’t cut it off completely. I ended up deleting the app so I could only shop on my computer (less convenient), really thought about what I needed to purchase and would add things to my cart instead of purchasing right away. This would help me see what I was spending all together vs. just purchasing individual items which are so easy in the app. 
  • Be a Smarter Shopper: Realistically, I knew I couldn’t give up shopping altogether. One, it’s part of my job and two, it just makes me happy. So I had to find ways to be a smarter shopper. First, I deleted almost all the apps on my phone. I’m very guilty of late night browsing and ordering willy nilly. Now, I have to get on my computer to order which is more intentional. I also really think about what I need before I buy it. I think to myself, will I really be sad if I don’t have this in a month? If the answer is yes and it’s something small, I’ll buy it. I also think about my overall budget and how much it’s subtracting. Do I want to take that out of my budget? Yes, then I buy it. If it’s a large purchase, I sit on it for a few days at least. If I still feel the need to have it, I’ll discuss it with RJ or my mom and then buy it. Another way I’m smarter, I no longer purchase things right away. I’ll add it to my cart, 9 times out of 10, I never go back and get it and then I know I don’t truly need it. 

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I’m sure there are a few other random ways I’ve been saving money but I think these are the main tips! So, are you bad at budgeting? I want to hear what tips or tricks you use. Drop them in the comments below or come chat with us over on Instagram stories later (@RileySitton). I am getting much better at spending in just a few short months, now I want to really master the art of saving!

Want more Life Hacks? Check Out 10 Small Steps You NEED for a Healthier Life. 

shop the post| Gucci T-Shirt | Leopard Skirt (Only $10!) | Golden Goose Sneakers (Dupe) | Sunglasses | Gold Bangles |

 

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Believes anything and everything can be conquered with a ‘can do, will do’ attitude. Always looking at the glass half full, even if it is a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Life’s better when it’s well lived –so say yes & have fun!

Loves Golden Retrievers, Coronas with Extra Lime, A Messy Kitchen from Cooking Up Something New for Her Husband & the Wheel of Fortune. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first little boy this August.

xo, Riley

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Only interested in warm weather from now until Sep Only interested in warm weather from now until September 🙏🏼🌞 what are y’all most looking forward to this spring? I’m going to be living at @highrailchattanooga & counting down until boat days !!!! #ChattanoogaFun #Noogagram
It’s going tooooo fast 😭 somehow we have a se It’s going tooooo fast 😭 somehow we have a seven month old baby and it doesn’t even seem possible. ⁣
⁣
Soaking up everyday is easy with this sweet boy. He’s pretty much all smiles as long as the attention is all on him. He really loves eating, babies and Doodle. He’s scooting and already trying to get into everything. Lucky for us, so far he pretty much just goes in circles. His first tooth popped through and he has a little bit of very blonde hair. ⁣
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Excited to see what Fosty’s first spring brings. 🌼 #7MonthsOld #FosterSitton
Surviving the snow day one @rosewinewater at a tim Surviving the snow day one @rosewinewater at a time 🌹 & at this rate not stopping anytime soon
Prunes and bath time, current Fosty faves ♡ #Fos Prunes and bath time, current Fosty faves ♡ #FosterSitton #6Months
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Only interested in warm weather from now until Sep Only interested in warm weather from now until September 🙏🏼🌞 what are y’all most looking forward to this spring? I’m going to be living at @highrailchattanooga & counting down until boat days !!!! #ChattanoogaFun #Noogagram
It’s going tooooo fast 😭 somehow we have a se It’s going tooooo fast 😭 somehow we have a seven month old baby and it doesn’t even seem possible. ⁣
⁣
Soaking up everyday is easy with this sweet boy. He’s pretty much all smiles as long as the attention is all on him. He really loves eating, babies and Doodle. He’s scooting and already trying to get into everything. Lucky for us, so far he pretty much just goes in circles. His first tooth popped through and he has a little bit of very blonde hair. ⁣
⁣
Excited to see what Fosty’s first spring brings. 🌼 #7MonthsOld #FosterSitton
Surviving the snow day one @rosewinewater at a tim Surviving the snow day one @rosewinewater at a time 🌹 & at this rate not stopping anytime soon
Prunes and bath time, current Fosty faves ♡ #Fos Prunes and bath time, current Fosty faves ♡ #FosterSitton #6Months
Fancy dinners are nice but I’ll take a MickyD’ Fancy dinners are nice but I’ll take a MickyD’s picnic any day. Plus, I think board games are my love language - especially if we’re watching the Wheel Of Fortune #IYKYK 😏 Hope y’all have a great weekend, we’re celebrating today so I can try and beat the snowstorm to Memphis in the morning. #ValentinesDay #AtHomeDateNight
Cannot believe we’re almost halfway through Febr Cannot believe we’re almost halfway through February but also BEYOND ready for Spring 🥶 I’ve been sharing some Spring outfit ideas on my story + saving to a highlight for easy shopping. Lemme know what you think or if you’re shopping for specific and I’ll style it!⁣
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Speaking of being frozen.. supposed to go to Memphis Monday but an ice/snow storm is coming?! So we either have to leave tomorrow or wait 😭 which interferes with the GF fried bologna biscuits I was surprising RJ with Sunday morning. 😂 #HomeSweetSitton
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Meet Riley

Believes anything and everything can be conquered with a ‘can do, will do’ attitude. Always looking at the glass half full, even if it is a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Life’s better when it’s well lived –so say yes & have fun!

Loves Golden Retrievers, Coronas with Extra Lime, A Messy Kitchen from Cooking Up Something New for Her Husband & the Wheel of Fortune. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first little boy this August.

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