You Asked, and I Listened!!

The moment some of you have been waiting for…

I’ve created a Budget Journal!!

I get so many questions from family, friends, and coworkers on finances, budgeting, loans, savings, and more. While I’m no financial expert, advisor, or anything of the such (legal disclaimer 😉 ), I love being able to share what’s worked for me for anyone willing to listen.

I’ve been pretty much on my own since I started college, navigating college life and working life, paying bills, and saving money to the best of my ability while having a high-maintenance car that required $1500 pretty much every 6 months. If you knew me in college, I was balling on a budget. I wrote about How to Shop the Brittney Way my second year of school and have grown all the way to paying down 2 Loans in 2 Years, and officially paid off my THIRD this week (just 6 short months after my second)!! In between, I’ve fully funded a 2-week vacation solely off saving every $5 bill that came my way, bought a car, built up my savings just in time to fully fund a relocation up to Connecticut, then replenish my savings again while working primarily on lowering my student debt. It’s been a wild ride, but I’m so happy to be where I am today. The relief of not having to live paycheck to paycheck or dip into my savings when I need/want something is a feeling I want every person to have.

The main thing I ask when people come to me for advice is, “Do you write everything down each month?” A majority of people say no. In my opinion, this is where it all goes wrong. Students are taught from a young age that if you write something down, even if only once or twice, you’re more likely to remember it after the fact. Your finances are no different. I have a planner that I live by. Between my planner and my phone, every important event, task, due date, reminder, you name it – it’s there. Eventually, reminders become muscle memory.

In order for you to be successful at something, you have to understand it. If you don’t truly understand your job, how do you expect to be good at it? If a doctor didn’t understand how the body works, would you trust what they’re saying? If an accountant didn’t understand taxes, would you trust them to do yours? Like I said, I’m not a financial expert or advisor, but I understand my personal finances and my budget and, considering I get multiple people who ask me for help, I’d say I’m considered successful. That being said, what works for me might not work for you, but maybe you can find what will along the way.

I think the reason a lot of people struggle financially is because we’re taught from a very young age not to talk about it. We’re taught not to discuss our pay with coworkers. Not to ask someone how much they make. Not to let anyone know you’re struggling or don’t understand what’s going on. Not to let everyone know how much money you have or don’t have. It makes you wonder what if money wasn’t a taboo subject for most people. Imagine how much help you could get if you felt comfortable talking about it, even if it was just with a close friend or family member. Obviously, there’s a difference between respectful talks about money and disrespectful talks about money, so as an adult, I hope you know the difference.

My Budget Journal is a start to understanding your budget. It includes my personal tips and tricks, a page for your financial goals, pages to track your savings and debts, a monthly calendar for tracking your bills, and an easy-to-fill-in monthly budget. As a much appreciated reader of my blog, you can get a first-look at the pages included with some examples at the end! While the budget journal does account for a 12 month period, the pages are not labeled or numbered, so you can start at any point in time!

My boutique store also sells Budget Binders that are helpful for those who work primarily with cash or prefer to see things in person. You have 6 sleeves that you can fit cash into, and each one is labeled with your preference (ex. Rent, Car, Gas, Bills, Vacation, etc). I highly recommend using both the journal and the binder hand in hand, especially if you’re just starting out. So if you do purchase My Budget Journal, you also receive a COUPON CODE for a discounted Budget Binder!

Feel free to check out some of my sample pages below, and if you’d like to purchase My Budget Journal on Amazon you can do so HERE! If you’d like to purchase both My Budget Journal and a Budget Binder, you can visit my boutique HERE!

If you have any specific questions or would like to speak to me personally, I am always available! You can DM me on social media, comment here on my blog, or email me at traudtstwocents@yahoo.com! I hope you have found this helpful, and I’d love to hear how the budget journal works for you!!

Until next time ❤