In today’s connected world, it feels like there are a million things to worry about. You don’t have to let money be one of them. Creating a budget is one of the easiest ways to minimize those worries and have full control over at least one aspect of your life – your money!
Spending money is inevitable, but it doesn’t need to be complex. Let’s start with what a budget is: a financial plan that breaks down your income and expenses, and enables you to reallocate those items to better meet your financial goals.
Today I’ll walk you through the 5 reasons why a budget is beneficial for everyone.
1. It Will Help You Achieve Your Goals (and not just the financial ones)
Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Having a goal provides an achievable target – something to work towards. It allows us to develop the small steps needed to reach our ultimate goals.
According to a study by Dominican University, people who set goals are 43% more likely to achieve them than those who do not.
No matter what your goal is – buying a home, having a large wedding, early retirement, or saving for your child’s education, the very act of setting one that is specific will increase the likelihood of success.
Establishing a budget helps you manage your spending and make informed decisions that either help or hinder you in achieving your financial goals.
2. It Provides Financial Control
It is difficult to achieve a goal if you do not know your starting point. Where we begin has a significant impact on the plan we establish to move forward. For example, if I plan to get my bachelor’s degree in mathematics, but already completed algebra and calculus, the classes I need to take might look different than someone who doesn’t have that background. The same is true for finances! You need to know where you are, your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to hit your goals.
The budget can classify your expenses into major categories. This allows for better organization and understanding of where your money is being spent. Common categories include housing, transportation, groceries, entertainment, healthcare, and debt repayment. Breaking down each category will give you a clearer picture of your spending patterns and enable you to make adjustments if necessary.
This level of financial control allows you to make short and long term decisions about how to change your financial position: Do you need to increase your income? Reduce your debts? Reduce your monthly Starbucks spending? It’s easy to control the variables that go into your budget with the right tools. Without this information documented, it becomes difficult to make an informed decision.
3. It Enables Debt Management
It is very difficult to avoid debt. According to Ramsey Solutions, 77% of American households have some sort of debt, with the average debt being $38,000 not including mortgages. Thankfully, a budget allows for a clear picture of your financial situation. Once this is understood, it’s easy to identify areas of your budget to allocate towards debt.
A budget is typically considered the first step towards building debt repayment strategies. Everyone’s budget and situation is unique; it is important to personalize a plan that works for you and your family. Building and tracking your budget makes this process manageable.
4. It Gives You Peace of Mind
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night thinking about how you are going to pay next month’s bill or manage an expected emergency? You’re not alone: 90% of Americans stress about money. Luckily, a budget can come in handy to reduce stress.
Chronic stress can put your health at risk. It has been proven that stress has both a physical and psychological impact on our bodies. Not only is it uncomfortable in the moment, prolonged stress can increase blood pressure, increase inflammation in the body, and makes you more likely to avoid healthy behaviors such as physical activity.
In fact, a study published in 2016 by Psychological Science shows that money can actually improve happiness when spending aligns with the spender’s personality. Creating a budget can help smartly allocate budget to the things you love: a trip to Italy, giving to a charitable cause, or a daily croissant from the local French bakery.
5. It Helps Build Good Habits
Good habits can be difficult to form – often times taking multiple months before it is engrained within our daily routine. However, once those habits are formed, they are difficult to break.
Building a budget and creating a regular rhythm to assess your status is a positive habit. It may even highlight other areas of your life by allowing you to see how much you are spending eating healthy meals at home versus takeout, how many times you are utilizing that costly gym membership, etc.
The more positive habits you can introduce into your daily routine, the better. Given how easy it is to utilize budgeting sheets and tools these days, it is a great way to start building good habits.
What is the top way to be more organized with money?
BUILDING A BUDGET, OF COURSE!
Building a budget can not only benefit your financial well-being, but also benefits your mental and physical health.
If you’re ready to take control of your finances and feel better about achieving your goals, a budget may be the best first step for you!
Ready to take the next step, but don’t know where to start? Read my post on the top budgeting tools!
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