Plan with me and check out my budget planner setup. Now with rising inflation it’s more important than ever to have a plan with your money.
When you have a plan with money you can do more of the things you love. Learn how to be good with money AND still have a life when you use a planner to budget.
Check out:
- Six steps to use a planner to budget and save money
- My budget planner setup
- How to meal plan and grocery shop with your planner
- What tracking your spending with a planner looks like
My Budget Planner Setup
1. Map out what’s going on in your life for the week
First start using a weekly planner without even thinking of your finances. Managing money isn’t about managing money. It’s about managing your life. Think through what’s going on in your life for the week?
Fill in work meetings, doctor appointments, happy hours with friends, birthday’s, workouts, errands, etc. for the week.
I’m testing out using the block schedule system to plan my days in chunks of time for the morning, afternoon, and evening. I’m also starting to track new habits I want to form throughout the week like working out and texting a friend what I’m grateful.
2. Plan your meals for the week
Now you have your basic schedule for the week, plan your meals. For example, recently I had a friend come in town during the weekend to visit. I knew we’d eat out a couple of times and I wanted to make brunch during her visit.
Based on my schedule, I then wrote out for each day of the week what I’ll have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks/desserts.
Include the days you’ll eat out! I like to keep it simple and batch make a couple of meals to have leftovers ready to go throughout the week.
I regularly buy groceries for the entire week for only $20-$40 (even with the massive inflation we’re seeing). When you eat primarily food from home you can save thousands of dollars in a year. Here’s more on how I meal plan to save time and money.
3. Write your grocery list
After you know what meals, you’re going to have throughout the week, then you can write your grocery list with the ingredients you need.
Research shows 60-70% of purchases at a grocery store are impulse buys. Check your list once before you hit the store to make sure you wrote down everything you need for the week. And the key to avoiding impulse buys is to only buy items on your list.
4. Get a set amount of cash for day-to-day spending
Studies show you spend 12-18% more with a card versus cash. Some money experts recommend taking out a set amount of cash and put in envelops for multiple different categories like groceries, gas, entertainment, beauty, clothes, etc.
I keep it simple and take out a set $120 on Fridays for all day-to-day spending throughout the week. I call it weekly cash! It helps pace my spending throughout the month (and simplifies personal finance).
5. Write out other errands and online spending for the week
Use your planner to list your errands and help you see upcoming small purchases.
If you’re like me, I’m always in the middle of a project. I’m currently renovating my RV and constantly running to Home Depot. Or there’s a friends birthday party around the corner and I need to hit up the Dollar Tree for a birthday card and gift bag. This list prevents impulse buys too!
6. Fill in your actual flex spending throughout the week
Lastly, throughout the week fill in your flex or variable expenses to see where your money’s going. Most everything you spend money on is completely fixed, like your rent, insurance, cell phone, etc.
Use your planner to write down what you spend with your flex expenses. I divide flex expenses into two categories: weekly cash and online spending.
I love using cash for as many purchases as possible, but some things you can’t use cash! This week I used my debit card when I renewed my driver’s license.
All in all try using your planner to budget and save money!
I’d love to hear from you. Do you use a paper planner? If so, do you budget with your planner? Head on over to @bestmoneyclassever on Instagram and TikTok for daily money tips and inspiration.
