Sophie (Chanko) Dare

A few days ago, I posted about my planner as a way to stay organized and actually get my tasks done.

I still live at home for the time being, so I don't have rent or groceries or utilities to pay for. But I'm planning on moving out this August, which will be here before I know it, and I want my finances to be in strict order before I have to venture out on my own.

So, I went on a Googling adventure, and lo and behold, I found this lovely tool:

https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/simple-budget-worksheet.html

Spreadsheets usually intimidate me- I haven't learned my way around Excel yet, and I usually just don't bother. But this one is so easy to use- you just plug in how much money you have to work with at the top, create your own categories for each bill or purchase, and it adds up all of your amounts for you!

It's incredibly helpful to me to visualize how much I'll have to grocery shop, how much I'll need for bills, and what I can keep for myself, for fun purchases like makeup, drinks out, or an impromptu Target run... yes, that does need to be its own category on my budget.

Another aspect of budgeting that I think is pure genius are sinking funds: a method of saving for periodic expenses like hair appointments, oil changes, or concert tickets. I've started taking out some cash each paycheck and keeping it in a small plastic folder/organizer labeled with my sinking fund categories, so the next time I get my hair cut and colored, it won't hurt my wallet so much since I've already been saving for it!

I hope this spreadsheet helps you as much as it's helped me! Happy budgeting!