But even a good budget can go awry.

And in that excitement, a lot of us get carried away with an unrealistic budget thats too strict.

Big surprise: it backfired.

Even the tiniest discretionary purchase would obliterate my budget, making it pointless.

Budget for the life you have.

When youre going through your budget and assigning spending categories, be realistic.

Dont tell yourself youll never buy a single discretionary item, because youre setting yourself up for failure.

Give yourself some breathing room.

Lifestyle inflation becomes a problem when youre spending for a life you cant afford.

It can creep up on you: an HBO subscription here; a fancy dinner there.

If this sounds familiar, its probably a good idea to start from scratch.

Budgeting Without a Purpose

Its hard to stick to a budget that doesnt have a goal.

After I got out of debt, my budget didnt have much of a purpose.

Id buy a lot of stuff I didnt need, and I didnt keep track of my restaurant spending.

My plan was basically: spend whatever I want, then save the rest.

You might do this if youre in debt, too.

You have no real direction, so you just make your minimum monthly debt payments and spend the rest.

Instead of making your savings or debt goal an afterthought,take a moment to define it.

What do you really want to do with your money?

If its a big goal, you might have toset smaller milestones.

Either way, come up with a goal for your budget, and then give that goal a category.

So that became my new budgetary goal.

So your $400 holiday spending becomes a monthly payment of $33.

You simply set that amount aside every month so when the bill comes, youve got the cash.

If you use abudgeting tool like Mint, itll do the work for you.

But maybe there are expenses you dont see coming.

A relatives wedding one month.

Your car needed a new battery the month after that.

If something comes up every month,you might as well budget for it.

Your budget may be stretched thin, but at least now you have something to work with.

Not Having a Cushion

Irregular expenses also illustrate why its important to have an emergency fund.

As Femme Frugality says, Budget Liberally.

It means that however much you think youll need, you schedule in more.

It means not fudging the numbers to an unrealistic low for fit your income.

Its a preemptive move, and when it comes to your budget, its a smart move.

While were fans ofautomating your finances, that doesnt mean forgetting about them and never revisiting them again.

Your budget can change, along with changes in your life.

Check in on it every now and then and double-check its still serving you well.

Illustration by Fruzsina Kuhari.