Worth Explains - How To Stick To Your Monthly Budget

The ¡°you only live once" mindset, popularly called YOLO, is what rules the mind of most of today¡¯s millennials and Gen Z. And why not? Life¡¯s too short to let the prime years of your life get soaked up in earning solely for the purpose of enjoying the later years of your life. Can't let go of the beautiful gift of life that way, right? That's even more true because uncertainty is the only certainty in life, so why leave everything in the hands of a mysterious future? Even those who try imposing their biased opinions or age old norms on youngsters and chatter against their way of living, often fail to understand that it¡¯s never wrong to spend and live in the moment, as long as you stick to your budget, remain financially disciplined and balance the save-spend ratio.

Be it going on a short vacation every month or striking off anything else from your bucket list from time to time, you can do everything you wish to, but only with a budget set for every action. Wondering how to do that? Worth explains some tiny but effective steps that can help you stick to your monthly budget without compromising on the YOLO motto!

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Break your monthly target into daily or weekly ones

Each day and week gradually builds up to an entire month, right? So why not use this breakup to make your budget task easier? If you find it difficult to control your day to day or weekly spending urges and end up regretting it at the end of the month, then consider setting daily or weekly targets for yourself. After all, looking at a target of saving, say Rs 5,000 per week sounds much more doable than looking at a bigger number like Rs 20,000 per month. Right? So, breaking your monthly target into daily or weekly ones would allow you to work with baby but solid steps everyday towards the aim of not going beyond that time frame¡¯s budget, and ultimately achieve the monthly target of sticking to the set budget!

The save first, spend later theory can be your best friend

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In the words of one of the world¡¯s greatest investors, Warren Buffet, if you buy things you don¡¯t need, you will soon sell things you need. This is probably the simplest way to learn the importance of saving first and spending later. So just ditch the habit of cribbing about your inability to save due to a long list of excuses like insufficient income, high expenses or the no compromise policy on YOLO motto. Every month, whenever your salary is credited to your account, set aside a predetermined part of it as savings. And no, don't blindly follow any rule book to derive at the percentage. You can start with a rather comfortable number like 20%-30% of income and then once you get habituated to saving and begin to stay true to the habit, you can focus on increasing the proportion of savings. And amidst all this, do not forget to stay true to your set budget and handle the remaining portion of money smartly, while at the same time not rigidly depriving yourself of enjoying the things that give you happiness in life.

Give the 30-day rule a try

I am sure most of us must have bought something impulsively only to regret it a few days later? And making not one but multiple such purchases can be a perfect trap to go over-budget. This is exactly where the famous 30 day rule can come to your rescue. Simply put, whenever you are about to make an impulsive purchase, just stop and defer the purchase for the next 30 days. Maybe add it to your wish-list or just let it stay in your cart if shopping online. Or when in store, just convince yourself that if you really need that purchase, you will come back to the store after 30 days. What this trick does is, it cuts out most of the irrational purchases, and the things you still end up purchasing post 30 days would in all likelihood be something you actually wanted!

Jot down your daily expenses before you go to bed

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No matter how much you earn and how diligently you aim to follow a set budget, it¡¯s often the day-to-day expenses that act as baby steps towards making you go over-budget. And in today¡¯s digital-first world full of rapidly evolving technologies and budding startups aiming to simplify our life, why not make use of money management apps? All you need to do is, each time you buy a cappuccino, eat out, pay a utility bill, or go on a shopping spree, just add that expense into one of the money management/budgeting apps either right away or before you go to bed that day. This way, the otherwise tedious task of tracking your daily expenses can turn into a quick and hassle free experience, besides helping you stick to your budget too.

Indulge in a self-treat on reaching goals

Budgeting isn¡¯t just about being financially disciplined. Because that way, it can become a monotonous task which over time, you might get fed up of, someday. So why not make this entire process more fun? You can gamify this process of budgeting by rewarding yourself whenever you achieve your target of sticking to your budget, and sooner or later, you will witness the transformation of this budgeting task into an enjoyable activity every month. So just go ahead and treat yourself with your favourite meal at the best cafe or go for an activity that kicks in your adrenaline rush!

Build a solid cushion to fall back on

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Ever imagined what would happen to an under construction or at worse, fully ready building, if its foundation turns out to be weak? Certainly, the building is likely to unfortunately collapse soon, especially in case of adverse calamity like an earthquake. Sounds scary, right?

Now imagine if the same happens to your financial life. In the absence of a solid foundation in the form of an adequate emergency fund, a single financial exigency like a sudden job loss,disability or severe illness can cause a turbulence and not just merely impact your budget, but even wipe out your lifelong savings. As 'prevention is better than cure¡¯, create and maintain a contingency fund to tackle the rainy days of your life without impacting your finances too much. The fund¡¯s size should ideally amount to at least 6 to 9 times your recurring monthly expenses such as house rent, SIPs, utility bills, insurance premium and EMIs, and you can stretch it to a higher figure like 12 times if your financial health allows.

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