How Budgeting Can Change Your Life

People who are on a budget are just people who want to manage their finances in a very responsible way. So many people think that if they have to go on a budget, that must mean they're not making enough money, or they're broke.

1. Budgeting is freeing

Budgeting takes this weight off your shoulders. You don't have to think anymore about how you're going to pay for this trip, how you're going to pay this debt, or how you're going to pay for groceries because it's all mapped out for you. All budgeting is just a framework so that you don't go in the red at the end of the month

You can live like broke people all your life, living paycheck to paycheck, not sure how you'll pay for whatever you're trying to pay for, and living off credit cards. Or you could write a budget and be freed from that, wondering how you'll pay for it.

2. Plan for success

You could be on a plan for success. Millionaires don't just stumble upon their money. They have a framework and a plan, and they go towards it. They go towards the goal. People who are not on a budget flounder. That doesn't have to be you.

3. Fighting about money

Being on a budget will change your life. You might be saying, I want to be on a budget, but my partner doesn't want to be on a budget.

That's a big roadblock because when your spouse is not on the budget with you, you're like this because you're constantly saying, we have no money, and this one over here is spending money, or you're both spending money, and you're just not on the same page.

So what do you do? You fight about money. That's exactly what my husband and I did in the early years of our marriage. We fought about money all the time. At the end of the month, we would go into the red, and I would cry, and I would just let him have it because he was eating out and I wasn't, and he didn't know where the money was going.

I couldn't take it anymore. I said we need to be on a budget. He thought that it was too restrictive. I don't want to be on a budget. If we keep doing this, we will keep going into the red. We're not going to have a savings account anymore. We're spending way too much money each month than we're making, and we had to get on a plan.

4. Life giving

We had to grow up, be adults, face the facts, and change how we did things. My husband agreed. It was life-giving because we could see where our money was going. We were able to pay all of our bills each month.

The budget changes your life. It doesn't mean that you're broke. I'm not broke. I live in a very comfortable situation and am on a budget. Why am I on a budget if I'm not worried about money? Because I need to know where my money is going. I know how much I'm going to spend on certain things.

5. Savings

I know how much money I can put in my vacation fund this month. I know how much money I can save for my kids this month. I know how to pay for a medical bill because I have money. I have money set aside every month for groceries. So I know how I'm going to pay for groceries.

You might say that's restrictive because my grocery budget is only $600 a month, but that's my choice. I get to decide that. If I wanted a higher grocery budget, I could give myself a higher grocery budget, but I choose $600 because I know that that's all we need.

Just remember, friends, being on a budget will change your life. Radically change your life. So, no more stop thinking that budgets are for broke people or people who don't know what they're doing.

6. Be on a budget

If you're on a fixed income or if you're on a variable income. It doesn't matter. Anyone and everyone should be on a budget. If you're retired and on a fixed income for your retirement, you should be on a budget.

You should be on a budget if you're a hardworking middle-class family. If you are making money, you should be on a budget. That's how it works, and it will change your life.

7. Build your four walls

If you are stuck or cry about money, make a budget. You must focus on your four walls if you say there's not enough money for my expenses.

This is a Dave Ramsey principle, not mine. You need to pay for food. That's number one. That is the most important. Make sure you have food for your family. Make sure that wherever you're living, it's a cool or warm place to live. So make sure you pay your utilities. Make sure you pay for your transportation to get to your job. Make sure you have gas money. Then, also pay your rent or pay your mortgage. Build your four walls first, and then start working out a plan to pay for the other things that you need to pay.

Watch Dave Ramsey on YouTube for tons of inspiration. I love the Dave Ramsey method, and that's what my husband and I did to pay off our $27,000 worth of debt four years ago, and that is how we are financially free now.

So we still have a mortgage, but that's our only debt. We paid off our cars, don't have credit cards, live within our means, and have money left over at the end of each month to put towards different savings accounts, but we never let money float. Never. We always give money a purpose.

How budgeting can change your life

I hope I've shown you how budgeting can change your life. Do you use a budget? Share how it's changed your life in the comments below.