5 Smart Strategies to Easily Stick to a Budget

If you are finding it difficult to stick to a budget, there are two things I want you to remember
1. you are not alone,
2. that doesn’t mean you are bad with money!

The reality is sticking to be a budget can be really challenging, especially when something happens unexpectedly and when everyone around you seems like they are just spending as they please.

Below I am sharing 5 super easy and smart strategies you can implement to help you stay on track.

Use Cash

One of the simplest ways to ensure you stick to your budget is to use cash. This allows you to physically see how much you have and how much you are spending.

This tip is great for expenses that can vary on a transaction by transaction basis such as groceries/food and “fun” money.

Track Successes

It is so easy to fall into the trap of highlighting your failures and being hard on yourself. I want to encourage you to do the opposite by keeping track of every savings goal you reach or anytime you stuck to your budget instead of splurging.

I don’t want to encourage a negative or limited mindset around money but rather I want you to have better control of the money you have. So instead of beating yourself up every time you don’t hit your target, try to understand what happened that caused you to fall off track then focus on setting a plan to help alleviate this if it was to happen again.

Don’t be afraid to say “no”

Sometimes not saying “no” is the main thing stopping us from sticking to our budget. Especially when you are in your twenties and your friends are constantly asking you to go out for drinks or brunch etc. It’s easy to feel like you are missing all the fun or “not cool” for saying no due to your budget.

This is why I always suggest budgeting for “fun money” BUT you have to have the discipline to say no once the amount you budgeted is finished.

You should also not be ashamed to share with others that you have financial goals and a budget to stick to that will ensure you reach them.

Review your budget frequently

It is important to know where you are regarding your budget on a regular basis. This helps you keep track of spending amounts, areas you may go over budget on, or areas you are under budget on. By doing this you can adjust your numbers regularly making sure your budget is well suited for you.

Remind yourself of Financial Goals

Goals, goals, goals… we often set them and forget about them.

As we are dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life, it is best to have our goals displayed somewhere we are reminded daily. For many people, they enjoy making visions boards that they display in their office, bedroom or digitally on their phone/laptop.

I personally set reminders in my calendar to check in on my goals. Recently I have been setting quarterly goals in the Notes app on my iPhone. This has been helpful because by doing so I have broken my main goal into manageable sections that I can adjust based on the life events during that period without feeling like I am falling behind.