Becentsable is discussing a series to help readers tackle the dreaded “B” word. BUDGETING!
Another difficult area was our planned expenses that didn’t occur monthly:
- taxes
- clothing
- gifts
- vacation
I found it challenging to figure out how I would fit these expenses in my budget. You don’t want December to roll around and have to come up with a big amount of money to pay your taxes.
The easiest way for me to handle these expenses was to set money aside every month in our savings account. This way if I found a big sale on clothing, then I could stock up and not wreak havoc my budget. Setting aside money in our savings for these expenses took several months to “get a cushion” added to our account.
It doesn’t matter what system you use, you just need to have a plan for these expenses.
Don’t give up! It may take a while to figure it out but I believe in you. You can do it!
Thanks for tackling your budget with us and making the word “BUDGET” worth talking about! Join me next time as we talk about how to handle unexpected expenses!
Keep tabs on all the hottest deals by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter and follow us on Facebook!
My husband and I have had a monthly budget since Dec 2009. It took us a few months to really get the hang of things, but now I feel really good about our spending (and ability to pay our bills on time, and in full every month).
One area I still struggle with is the clothing and other misc expenses that aren’t in our “every month” budget. I find myself just using our “extra money” as it comes (bigger paychecks than we anticipated or budgeted for, or extra money that comes in)… When really I would like for that to be going into out savings.
We are a family of 3 on one income. How do you determine how much should get put away for clothing? Guess I needed help realizing what is a realistic goal about.
Thank you!
We are a family of 4 (2 little ones) and we set aside about $25 a month for clothes. Keep in mind we buy all our kids clothes used at consignment sales or get items passed on from family/friends.
Separate needs from wants, sometimes the hardest part, then shop at consignment shops or discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Target. Buy off season and you can find some real “steals” but it takes time.
Thank you! 🙂