Money help: Hello all, I’m looking for anyone’s insight. - Help.com

I use the following categories to help me budget my cash. I take each bill and break it down into weekly costs, and round it up to the closest 10, so that I’m never short of the amount, then I pay the weekly amounts into a bank account I have solely for paying bill, which helps me not spend the money! I have 2 accounts in total. One for the bills, and the other for food, entertainment, clothes, etc. I also have a saving account. Any money that’s left over after I’ve budgeted for the week is paid into that account, so if I ever need cash, I have a 3rd reserve without actually dipping into the money saved for bills.

- rent
- water bills
- gas bills
- electricity bills
- council tax
- mobile phone (cell phone) costs
- landline phone and internet
- television license/cable costs
- travel costs (insurance for car, petrol, mot, road tax, etc etc if you have a car, or the cost of bus passes or rail tickets)
- basic food costs (it’s my approximate weekly cost of food shopping)
- entertainment budget (I allow myself the cost of 1 night out a week at approx £40 a night and the cost of getting a takeaway once every 2 weeks)
- clothes budget

I think that’s everything. If I can think of anything else I budget for, I’ll add it on!

Good luck with moving, your father is right to make you think about a budget, if you can learn how to spend your money well now, then when you’re earning, you can live comfortably off a budget, and still save a lot of money. You’ll thank him when you can afford 2 holidays a year because he made you budget!

Apart from the usual rent, utilities (gas, electricity, water, telephone), food, clothing, essential consumables (toilet paper! etc.)…TV licence, insurance, rainy-day stuff (something in case your fridge breaks down, etc.), travel costs, luxuries (spending money!)…it really depends on your lifestyle. If you’re gonna have pets…all the stuff for them (including vet bills/insurance).

Number one, I wouldn’t say your father is too protective. Good budgeting is missing in too many American homes today. Good budgetting is only good sense.

Now for your question: Budget for entertainment. Surely you will rent movies once in a while, etc. Budget for vehicle break-downs, oil changes, etc. You don’t want break-downs, but they happen! Budget for eating out. Surely once in a while you grab something to eat on the run! Hope that gets you thinking!

Best wishes on your move!

Use a spreadsheet (like the free one in google docs). I introduced my wife to spreadsheets and she made amazing budgets. The budgets were great tools. We never had debt problems and life was actually better.

Thank you all for your input! Thank you lunixya, I was looking for some type of spreadsheet to start my budget.

Luckily for us, we’re moving into a place owned by a family friend, so cable, internet, and water are all included in the rent bill.

Any other ideas of little money drainers would be greatly appreciated.

disgruntled wrote:
I use the following categories to help me budget my cash. I take each bill and break it down into weekly costs, and round it up to the closest 10, so that I’m never short of the amount, then I pay the weekly amounts into a bank account I have solely for paying bill, which helps me not spend the money! I have 2 accounts in total. One for the bills, and the other for food, entertainment, clothes, etc. I also have a saving account. Any money that’s left over after I’ve budgeted for the week is paid into that account, so if I ever need cash, I have a 3rd reserve without actually dipping into the money saved for bills.

- rent
- water bills
- gas bills
- electricity bills
- council tax
- mobile phone (cell phone) costs
- landline phone and internet
- television license/cable costs
- travel costs (insurance for car, petrol, mot, road tax, etc etc if you have a car, or the cost of bus passes or rail tickets)
- basic food costs (it’s my approximate weekly cost of food shopping)
- entertainment budget (I allow myself the cost of 1 night out a week at approx £40 a night and the cost of getting a takeaway once every 2 weeks)
- clothes budget

I think that’s everything. If I can think of anything else I budget for, I’ll add it on!

Good luck with moving, your father is right to make you think about a budget, if you can learn how to spend your money well now, then when you’re earning, you can live comfortably off a budget, and still save a lot of money. You’ll thank him when you can afford 2 holidays a year because he made you budget!

-Medical bills
-Life Insurance
-dental Insurance
-Eye care

Most of these your job may cover.