Budgeting properly

DX'd - Other
1

So I have been failing at budgeting for the first time ever this year. I have always managed to budget properly in the past.

The failure came about by trying to budget for the future, not the present. Whilst I was just living day to day, I spent exactly as much as I received. Now that I am trying to budget for the future, I have been getting into difficulties. Such is the nature of budgeting.

This is a skill I need to learn if I am to live a life of a normie, but do I want to, isn’t it better to live in the present, to spend for the present, not to be lost in past and future fantasies.

I think it boils down to whether I want to be a normie or remain an SZ. We shall have to see how this pans out. Thank you.

2

So I want to set myself a daily food expenditure of around £5, no more than £7, including chocolate and other indulgences. I’ll keep a tab here to make sure I stick to it. Thank you.

3

I tracked my money for a few months writing down everything I spent. It gave me a clear sense of what I was actually spending. I was surprised. I underestimated many things. With that knowledge I made a budget I could stick to. Every few months I do it again just to keep me on track. Its very easy to spend.
Good that you are setting limits for yourself.

4

Thank you @FatMama. I spent £5.08 today so am off to a good start.

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5

So I spent £5.16 today, within the limits.

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6

So this is going to end up being a boring thread for the time being, just until I settle down into this spending regime. I spent £4.79 on food today, well within limits.

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7

I have everything I spend money on in a spreadsheet by calendar month and I track all my bills using the banking app and the spreadsheet.

It seems to work well, but my main problem now is that I have no income from working as yet, as I quit my job just before lockdown and have nothing sorted for the future yet.

8

Thank you FadeToBlack, I really hope you get some income. I spent £5.39 today, on food and toothpaste, so doing well. Thank you.

9

So I just spent £5.39 on food in advance, so won’t be able to spend any more tomorrow. This should be ok. Thank you.

10

So I spent £5.39 on food in advance again, which means I can’t spend any more tomorrow, I didn’t need the food for today, it’s just I’d run out of filter tips and didn’t have any cash (£5 minimum on card). Thank you.

11

So I didn’t spend any money on food yesterday and am back on schedule. Today I spent £4.39 on cereal and milk. Thank you.

12

I spent £5.59 today, can’t remember how much exactly I spent yesterday but it was just over £5 as well. I’m really pleased I’m sticking to this. Posting here is helping. Thank you.

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