I've been trying to get better at budgeting lately, and here's what's been working for me: first, I track everything I spend for a week or two (yeah, tedious but eye-opening). Then, I set realistic limits for each category based on that. Finally, I use cash envelopes for tricky categories like eating out or hobbies—once it's empty, that's it till next month. But um...sometimes it's still tough. Anyone got better tricks or hacks?
Honestly, the cash envelope thing never really clicked for me—felt kinda restrictive. What helped was:
- Automating savings upfront (outta sight, outta mind).
- Weekly mini-check-ins instead of monthly...less overwhelming.
- Rewarding myself occasionally for sticking to it (within reason, lol).
Keeps me sane-ish.
I get the appeal of automating savings, but honestly, I found that sometimes it made me feel disconnected from my money. For me, manually tracking expenses—even briefly—keeps me mindful and creatively engaged with budgeting...though I admit it's not for everyone.
