As with any good idea, the best time to start a budget and manage your personal cash flow is now. Of course, it’s understandable that you might hesitate because you have probably heard this advice many times already. May have even tried it only for your budget to blowout and you feel too disappointed to try again.
“It’s a waste of time.” your mind says. “Why should I bother?”
However, we all know deep down that the situation and our peace of mind, won’t improve in time without effort on our behalf.
If anything, it will worsen and we’re left wishing we did something about it years ago. You may even be left with feelings of regret and loss of all that money, time and opportunity that slipped through your fingers.
When you make a decision to stop putting it off and budget now, it is because you want to move forward and create a better life for yourself. You might be just a little terrified of what you’ll find but once you make that decision though, everything comes to light. It is like taking a flu shot. There is a little prick and it does feel painful. But in the long run, your body is all the better for it.
Imagine just some of the following benefits if you simply decided to budget now:
You will see what you are really free to spend on every day.
Budgets are often seen as restrictive and penny pinching but that is really just one point-of-view. Instead of stressing yourself and feeling bad about what you can’t spend on, enjoy the things that your budget has plenty of room for.
For example, if your budget allows room for a weekly night out with friends, then enjoy those nights! If you have a budget to feed your pets, then really cherish them and care for them. By planning a budget now, you will immediately know what benefits you can freely enjoy and you will less likely take them for granted.
Your priorities become clearer and you get less distracted.
Budget blowouts can sometimes happen when you have lost your sense of priorities. It can be during moments when you actually overspent without realising it. (For example, you decided to impulse buy an expensive dress instead of just waiting for a sale.)
When you set a budget now, you are essentially protecting yourself from those moments when you spend needlessly on lesser priorities. A budget habit is a constant way of rooting your mind on what is most important to you and making sure your spending habits reflect this importance.
You are less stressed about buying things you don’t really want or need.
Another thing that makes budgets more liberating is that you are consistently weeding out expenses that no longer serve your well-being. Instead of mindlessly buying items that stores place in front of you on your way to the checkout, you’ll be able to consider if it’s worth even having at all.
Budgets are a wonderful way to identify stressful and needless expenses, therefore allowing you to do away with them. And as a side note, it can even be a fun exercise in your creativity as it can prompt you to find cheaper alternatives to expensive spending habits.
So, as you can see, none of these benefits have anything to do with ‘wasting time’ on budgeting. The benefits that were just described are just some of the ways the habit of budgeting can free you (both mentally and financially). Start budgeting now! Because like any good habit, it’s healthy for you!