It seems everyone has a different way to budget. Some like spread sheets, some use work sheets, some just pay what bills they have when they get paid, etc. I honestly have used most systems out there. What I have found works wonders for us, is to print off a calendar at the beginning of the month. I color code according to "type" of entry. Blue-James' paychecks, Pink-my paychecks, Deep Red- Tithe, Orange-bills, Purple-gas for cars, Red-groceries. I think that's everything.
I then write in every paycheck on the date it will be received and how much we expect. This number will vary from check to check so I do have to go back in and update my budget later. I then write in our tithe, all bills on the date they are due and how much they should be, and gas and grocery money on given dates. We use a modified envelope system. So I withdraw the money needed for gas and groceries on a specified date.
Next, in the notes section, I split the month in half. My paydays are consistent and James' are every other week. So, I split the month based on my paydays. It is just easier for us this way. I take the each half of the month and write total income minus total expenses. This helps us see where we are and if we need to move paying specific things around. I like writing everything in the calendar because we can visually see where everything is and avoid accidental late payments.
How do you budget? Do you follow a specific persons program?
This is good. We've actually divided our bills in half and take that amount out of each paycheck. It works fairly well most of the time.
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