Anyone else afraid to look at their budget at month end?

[MillauFr]

I stopped using a budget when I realized that it's the same as dieting. It's impossible to stick with and when you cut back too much, you just overcompensate later by way too much.

Yes which is why we switched to vinaigrette dressing....

 

[goofytinkerbell]

1

 

[hsmamato2]

I can very much relate to this post. I had to learn to budget but I can honestly say I enjoy it and it takes very little time. I use a zero based budgeting system and assign everything a category and tweak if needed.

But I will say that almost all of my categories have gone up and it’s really disheartening to increase them all. Inevitably that just takes money away from our goals and wants and its not fun to be getting less for my money.

Pretty much the same here.... some months, the end of my budget sheet is looking pretty lean... I do a zero sum budget on a monthly basis-where each category starts with a certain amount based on current income. This is within the framework of the years budget. (income vs. outgo) some months are easier than others. And yes, if I want more in say,my grocery category,I have to "find" it from another category. The overall amount has to be my planned amount to stay on budget. There are def times OP where I'm cringing while looking at my final tally.

 

[disney212]

I was a single mom for years so I know the living check to check. Having a yearly budget really helped. I used my tax refunds to stretch the budget, it paid my summer daycare bill. During the pay check to pay check years it's tough and I feel for anyone going through that. It's why I prioritize savings as a line item in my budget. It really saved us during the job loss my DH had during the pandemic.