You probably feel like youre too advanced to need a budget.
You have a retirement account!
You autopay your bills!
Youve got this, right?
I know you dont like to do it.
But Im here to tell you to sit down and do it anyway.
You need a budget.
Would you half-ass your health?
Say you go the doctor for your annual physical.
The whole way there, youre grumbling about it.
I dont know why Im bothering, you think.
The nurse didnt show any concern about those initial metrics, so you hop off the table.
Im good to go, you tell them.
If you leave without the full exam, you cant be sure youre actually healthy.
The same goes for your money.
Maybe looking at your childcare costs makes you sick to your stomach.
Maybe seeing your monthly student loan debt payment makes you sad.
But its time to push through and get organized.
If you dont, your lack of awareness could come back to bite you.
But this reader was lucky: They werent starting from scratch.
It was a matter of adjusting their budget, not building one from the ground up.
Because by then, its too late.
By then, youre reacting to whatever outside pressure is dictating the ways you spend your money.
Youre making a plan that makes it easier to adjust when the worst-case scenario drops in on you.
The best budget is the one that works for you.
And it may take some trial and error to find one that makes sense for your personal situation.
The kakeibo method:You group spending into four categories: Survival, extra, optional, and culture.
What goes into which category?
Deciding for yourself is half the fun with this method.
Because a budget isnt something you set and forget.
Its something you nurture over time.
