#Cost of you need a budget registration
#Cost of you need a budget trial

Once you have all the categories and the estimated costs, add them up. If you’re using the YNAB software, you’ll set up a target in each category. If you’re writing this list down, just put the amount next to the category. Kids’ Expenses (piano lessons, swimming, summer camp, etc).Credit card fee (some cards have yearly costs).Warehouse membership (Costco, Sam’s club, Amazon Prime, etc.).Property taxes (if they’re not rolled into a mortgage).Beauty (hair cuts, makeup, nails, etc.).Entertainment subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc.).Medical costs (dental, eye care, therapy, doctor, etc.).

#Cost of you need a budget registration

Car registration (license, tab renewal).Auto maintenance (oil changes, new tires).Transportation costs (gas, bus pass, tolls, parking).Other utilities (trash service, gas bill).It’s not exhaustive but it will give you a solid starting point: Look through this list to jog your memory.

#Cost of you need a budget trial

You can write this list down on a piece of paper (or use the free trial we offer in YNAB to make the rest of the steps a little easier). For now, we want the most accurate picture possible of the current state of your spending.

Be super realistic with this spending: we’ll get to cutting down expenditures later. Go through credit card statements, checking account transactions, your Amazon orders in the past year, the whole nine yards.Ĭome up with a list of the categories you spend money on, and a ballpark monthly cost for each category. Make a List of Current Expensesįirst things first, answer this: how much does a month of your life cost? To get to this number, you’re going to make a big long list. It’s the key to prioritize your money, minimize financial stress, and feel more in control during an unpredictable time.Įven if you have less money than you expected, or a whole lot less than you hoped to have, you can manage the money you have in a way that will provide clarity and control. Perhaps it’s a classic response from a company called You Need a Budget, but in all earnestness, a budget can be a beacon lighting your way through uncertain times. There is so much that we cannot control right now, but we can do the best we can, and if there has ever been a time when we all needed a budget, it is now. It’s uncertain and scary, and you are absolutely not alone.Įven if your income hasn’t changed, you’re probably feeling stressed-we all are. Maybe you’ve already been laid off or put on furlough, and you’re trying to navigate your soon-to-be reduced income as fast as you can. Many of us are wondering… Is my work going to get shut down? Am I going to get paid? What if I run out of money? Peel back the layers of this Covid-19 pandemic and it’s not just a fear for our physical health (and the health of our loved ones), it’s a fear for our financial health and the future in general. These are crazy times, and we’re feeling it in every fiber of our being.