• Home
  • About Women With Intention
  • FAQs
  • Contact Me

Women With Intention

For women seeking purpose, simplicity, and balance in life.

  • Intentional Living
    • Goals
    • Self-Care
      • Self-Care Calendars
    • Time Management
    • Living Your Best Life
      • Putting Yourself First (Self-Care)
      • 31 Days Of Intentional Living
      • Smart Choices (Fitness & Diet)
  • Homemaking
    • Decluttering, Organizing & Simplifying
      • 31 Days Of Decuttering In December
    • Intentional In The Kitchen
      • Meal Planning
        • Meal Plan Monday
        • Meal Planning Master List
      • Canning & Preserving Food
      • Freezer Cooking
      • Recipes
    • Holidays & Special Occasions
    • Seasonal Fun
    • Home Management
  • Saving Money
    • Budgeting
    • 14 Day No Spend Challenge
    • Grocery Shopping
    • Income Producing Ideas
    • Store Deals
    • Do It Yourself Projects
  • Relationships
    • Christian Living & Biblical Womanhood
    • Family Fun
    • Marriage
    • Mentoring
    • Parenting
  • Resources
    • 31 Day Challenges
    • Building A Stockpile
    • Master Meal Planning Lists
    • Printables
    • Blog Party Directory
    • Self-Care Calendars
    • My Reading List
    • Things I Love

Why I Need A Budget (And You Do, Too!)

April 18, 2016 by Jenny 2 Comments

What are your financial goals? Do you want to stay home with your kids, pay for a vehicle with cash, take a great vacation, or save for college? By creating and sticking to a budget you can reach your goals!

I have a confession to make.  I haven’t lived by a budget in far too long (and my bank account is showing it)!

How about you? Are you disciplined or would you rather go to the dentist than think about creating a budget?   

I know that creating a budget can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be!  By breaking the budget into small steps you can get back on track to financial freedom!

What are your financial goals? Do you want to stay home with your kids, pay for a vehicle with cash, take a great vacation, or save for college?

The first time I ever tried to get my act together with finances is when my youngest was born and I was dying to be a stay at home mom.   I had always thought of budgets in terms of restrictions and rules.  I went to the library (trying to be frugal) and checked out books by Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, David Bach and Mary Hunt. I soaked up everything I could and applied it to our finances.

There is no need to have bad images associated with budgeting.  People that take the time to discipline themselves with the word “budget” should associate it with the mental image of what their goal is.  Whether it is being debt-free, buying a car with cash, or taking that dream vacation your budget is the vehicle that is going to get you there.

It was easier to budget then with 2 salaried jobs.  I set up a quick spreadsheet in Excel with our income on the top line.  Underneath I put in each of our monthly expenses (house payment, car payment, insurance, etc.) subtracting each one from the income line.  Poof!  I had a budget!

With the farm, trying to figure out what our income will be is insane!  We sell our grain and cattle just a few times a year so until then we are living on last year’s income and then on loans!  This makes it way harder to budget but it also makes having a budget that much more important!

Discipline can be hard, but you will reap the benefits.  Discipline might mean eating at home, not buying that cute shirt, or staying home instead of going out with friends but you will see and reap the benefits when you accomplish your goals.

I have found the key to a budget is that each month you need to come back and tweak it according to what is happening in life.  However it usually only takes 15 minutes to tweak the next month’s budget and by doing so, I started seeing my savings grow, debt go down, and eventually I was able to stay home.  I’m not going to lie, because of bad past decisions, it took me until right after I had the twins to get there (almost 5 years later) but I made it!

As you are creating your budget, keep in mind it’s a lot easier to go into debt than to pay it off.  It’s very similar to losing weight, but it is possible!

If you are having trouble creating a budget, I highly encourage you to visit Dave Ramsey’s website.  Many local churches offer his Financial Peace University which can really help you get organized and on budget.  Other apps such as You Need A Budget and Mint are highly recommended.  You will need to figure out what your monthly income and expenses are.  There is a really nice free pdf printable you can use here!  There are also some good tips here!  Don’t forget gifts and other items that happen throughout the year. Christmas is coming no matter what and so is swimming lessons, car insurance, and taxes.

I want you to succeed with your goals!  By creating and sticking to a budget I know you can get there!  I can’t wait for you to let me know that you have met your goals!

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!

Filed Under: Budgeting, Intentional Frugality

Comments

  1. Lux G. says

    April 19, 2016 at 2:45 AM

    It’s so important to think about the future and not splurge mindlessly.
    We need a budget and we need to stick to it.

    These are wise words. Thanks for sharing. I’m glad I found your blog. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      April 19, 2016 at 9:29 PM

      Thank you! 🙂 Look forward to having you back!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello! I’m Jenny!

I'm a wife, a mom of 6 and daughter of the King. I love my chocolate, cute cloth diapers, DIY and self-improvement projects, and curling up with a great book!

I'm excited to have you join me on my journey of saving money, living the good life while balancing family, relationships and homemaking! Learn more about me and this site here!

Would You Like More Tips & Tricks To Live YOUR Live With Intention?

Subscribe By Email!

* indicates required
 photo 9e35b669-0746-4500-97cd-440272ae0979_zps8ac4d98e.jpg Each month, I post a FREE monthly self-care calendar. I hope to help you all live with purpose is by loving yourself enough to take time for self care! As parents, it is our job to prepare our children to leave the home when they are grown. Here are the life skills I feel are essential to know.  photo 31 Days of Purpose 300 button_zpsj2vb9hrn.png Are you snowed in and looking for something fun and tasty? Snow ice cream might be just want you need! Here are 3 snow ice cream recipes! Follow on Bloglovin

Recent Posts

  • 5 Daily Sanity Saving Tips To Help You Escape Survival Mode
  • April 2017 Self-Care Calendar
  • March 2017 Self-Care Calendar
  • February 2017 Self-Care Calendar
  • What I’m Into…January 2017 Edition
Pied-a-terre Loft Furniture

Archives

  • March 2018
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
shareasale.com Blogorama - The Blog Directory

**This site contains affiliate links. See the disclosures page for additional information. Copyright © 2013-2018 Women With Intention

Pages

  • 31 Day Challenges & Series
  • About Women With Intention
  • Blog Party Directory
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure Policy
  • FAQs
  • Master Meal Planning Lists
  • Self-Care Calendars

Family Blogs
top blog directory

Home & Garden Blogs - Blog Rankings

Copyright © 2025 · Lifestyle Pro Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in