![]() Mint has pretty graphics, so you can see how close you are to meeting or exceeding your budget categories.īasically, Mint allows you to easily see how much you’ve been spending and how much you have available at any given time. Mint also has a free app, so you can check your budget on the go before you decide to make a purchase. It automates the process of tracking your expenses, so you’re more likely to stick with it. When you are on a tight budget and trying to get out of debt, this pretty much trumps all. ![]() Why use for Zero Sum Budgeting?įirst and foremost, it is free. If you’re not prepared with a clear budgeting plan, those will quickly disappear. I know it can be tough to find any extra in a really tight budget, but small surpluses do come our way occasionally (bonuses, raises, tax returns, etc). This technique also makes sure that you plan ahead to use any “extra” funds to go toward something really important like getting out of debt. It’s simple, but it works! I think there’s a mental shift that says, “hey there’s no extra buffer this month, I better stay on budget!” Spend your whole paycheck on paper before the month begins. If you were to total up each of your budget categories, they should equal exactly your expected income for the month. You don’t necessarily need to spend each dollar, it could go to savings or retirement, but you still have to give each dollar a job. Then, assign each and every dollar of your income to one of your budget categories. Start out with your total expected take home income for the month. Instead, I learned the simple but amazingly effective technique of Zero Sum Budgeting. ![]() It just gave us license to go over in many budget categories, every month! I used to think that if I set aside a buffer in our budget, there’d be enough left over in case we went over in any given category. Here’s a subtle difference that took us from years of budgeting attempts and failures into fast budget success! Well, you’re probably familiar with the concept of budgeting: You go through each of your budget categories and assign an amount you plan to spend in each. The good news is, now that I have it figured out, I’m going to share what I learned with you and hopefully save you the pain of doing it yourself! What is a zero-sum budget?įirst off you might be wondering, what is a zero sum budget, anyway? And how does it help you stay on budget? Instead, I figured out a way to hack Mint so I could use it for a zero sum budget. When we were laser focused on getting out of debt, there was no way I was going to drop $60 on YNAB or even more for other budgeting software! Mint is not perfect for this purpose, but it is free, as opposed to some of the other options out there. Today I’m showing you exactly how to use Mint effectively to manage my zero sum budget. I’ve previously shared that I use to track my expenses for free. T oday I’m sharing another one of the simple shifts that transformed my ability to finally stick to a budget and get out of debt fast. Budgeting with Mint and sticking to it is easy! Let’s get started! Learn how to budget with Mint effectively using this step-by-step tutorial.
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