HOW TO START A BUDGET | FREE DOWNLOAD BUDGET TEMPLATE

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[jillygirl]

Because of you and the easy way you and the channel
" Frugal Freaks" talk about budgeting & money I have developed my own financial plans. And went into this pandemic with bills paid current, pantry, freezer, frig full and way less stress than some of my neighbors, co-workers, friend's & family.

During this time, yes, I have been getting unemployment I have been able to successfully pay bills current and meet several financial goals all the while being careful of my spending.
Thank you ! I plan to retire next year ( 62) and it is possible

[jessicablakely]

Yes! Not knowing about my finances made me passively ALWAYS stressed about money. You're so right. Once you dive in, you feel in control!

[ttudidfitrhondavigil]

We have followed Dave Ramsey for 3 years.
Now debt free and mortgage free.
Yahoo!

[sarahbethh]

Thank you for this video Christine. We just found out baby 1 is on the way, bought a house, and I'm starting a new job. And my student loans all just hit repayment. There is so much going on in our lives right now, and I really needed a little extra guidance.

[amyfann]

I’ve been watching your budget updates for years now. You are a financial inspiration! I have a spread sheet I already use but I like that yours can see a year at a time, I may adopt that portion and add it to mine. We have paid off a lot of debt the past couple years and while we still have more to go, videos like these are a reminder to keep going on this path! Thanks for sharing! ❤️

[emilyemm]

We paid off our last credit card this month, and strangely, it’s made me want to stick to a budget more than ever!! I just want savings, savings, savings!! Great video, I will definitely have to add sinking funds to my budget to allocate what the savings is intended for!

[MWieandSeamstresswithStyle]

I’m a big budget believer and now I help others. Thanks for your help and sharing.

[loveGG]

Honestly I love all your videos but YES to more budget/finance videos!

[amyshimonkevitz]

One thing I found was helpful to me when I was younger, and I had significant credit card debt was not to look at the balance of one card, because that number didn't phase me at all. However, when I totaled up all of my credit card debt into one number, it was huge and a much bigger motivator for the younger me to pay it down. Then, I kept track of my debt balance as one number broken down each month by the balance, what I paid, and how much was added back (in interest until I paid off the debt). This helped me to think in terms of the larger picture to paying down the entire debt instead of thinking about just making the payment on each card each month. It also was a big motivator for me not to use the credit card because each time I was tempted, I would think "I was able to reduce that big number, I don't want it to go back up." That was much better for me; that mindset really made a difference in how I was able to manage reducing my debt routinely each month.

[KendraW]

I just realized that you teach an online class for a living- but we get to take your classes for free 🤓 thanks for the video! Any tips on how to get a non-frugal partner who refuses to discuss money, to be more open to suggestions about finances?

[juliayork]

Awesome video! I find so many people are in the dark about their personal finances because it's easier to be unaware than it is to take action and make steps to change.

[cates]

PLEASE get life insurance. My FIL recently passed away, and if not for our emergency fund, we would have had to use credit to pay for end of life expenses. (Even basic cremation is expensive!) Even just a $10k policy would cover the basic needs for funeral/cremation stuff.
I've been using a similar budget without the roll-over for several years. (Never really had anything to roll over, lol) We're newly debt free and I'm gonna add a roll over into my budget!

[randijohnson]

I love me a budget spreadsheet. I spent about 6+ hours a few weeks ago revamping my savings spreadsheet, which includes yearly things like prop taxes. It now tells me exactly how much I have in each category in any given month. I was (and still am) so proud of it, so I showed my husband and his eyes just glazed over. He may not get my excitement, but he's glad he doesn't have to keep track of stuff like that!

[saraxtea]

This couldn't have come at a better time for me! With the stimulus and unemployment I've been earning which is much more than I'm used to, I really needed some guidance on how to allocate and save. I'm a single woman without a spouse, kids, a car, school loans or a house, but I'm really trying to start now so when those things are eventually added, I won't feel so overwhelmed and lost. I used a basic google template for this month and last month, but I think yours looks much easier to use and is much more customizable. Thank you Christine!

[TheSamVala]

You are very Lucky. I'm a singel person with a dog. I bought 2 houses in 2years. I need to pay everything from my own salary, rentincome etc. Lucky I can sell some wood from my own forest, sell berries in The authum, babysitting etc. But it is never easy to pay The loan on The houses, cars, food, repairs etc. You need to know where everything goes to the cent and save every cent you can since things love to break.
(sorry if I have spelling mistakes but I'm dyselektic and english is my 3d language. And I speek better english then my spelling tells)

[amandaburger]

Thanks for sharing! I have a pretty solid budget spreadsheet, but I wasn't tracking my sinking funds and I HATE making spreadsheets. I'm excited to give yours a go.
It also didn't occur to me to put the spreadsheet in a google doc so my husband and I could edit it from anywhere... I feel kind of silly about that one, but I'll be doing it now.

[quileter]

Thank you for posting this. Starting my debt free journey and this will help my family alot.

[ktjomeyers]

I am impressed that you only spend $200 a month on groceries. I also have a family of six and we spend at least $600 a month, and that is good when you look at the average in America. I love watching your money saving ideas videos but I would love to see a monthly menu that you do. My kids get sick of spaghetti every week. :) This past year I have also been doing no sugar, no flour. I have found it is actually a lot more expensive to eat "healthy". Meat and veggies add up fast! :(

[kaysallengs]

We do ours a little differently. We add up all of our expenses for the month, then divide by two. We put that amount into a "bill" account each pay period.

[melaneeminer]

This is exactly what I needed. You have saved my sanity. I am sending your video to my husband. Thank you!!!!