5 steps to budgeting when you pay weekly

Creating a budget that you can stick to can seem like one of the hardest parts of it Money management. After all, it looks so simple on paper! But when it comes time to take action, sticking to it can be more difficult.

In this article, I’ll show you five easy steps to setting up your own weekly spending plan in less than 10 minutes a week! You will learn 5 steps to creating a weekly budget that you can stick to!

If you pay weekly, it may feel like you’re trying to piece together a puzzle to come up with a budget that works for you. It can be difficult to put together a puzzle without knowing the whole picture. The same goes for budgeting when you get paid weekly!

The idea of ​​getting paid weekly may sound ideal, but it makes budgeting more complicated.

Today, I’m breaking down the exact steps for budgeting when you get paid weekly. I hope these steps help you create a weekly budget.

1. Know your paydays

Take out a monthly calendar and write down every day you get paid. Better yet, also write down how much money you will earn each payday. This will help you visually see what salary each bill should cover.

Assign a distinct color to each paycheck. Then underline the paycheck with its designated color. Color coordinating your budget will help you see how you can distribute your paychecks to make ends meet. This is a great strategy, especially for people who are visual learners.

2. Add your invoices to the same calendar

Once you’ve added your paydays to the monthly calendar, add your invoices to it as well. You need to know which bills need to be paid each week so that you are not late paying any of them.

If your bills change from month to month, be careful not to miss the due date! In fact, put your bills in direct debit mode to make sure you don’t incur late fees. If you’ve ever had to pay a late fee, you know how annoying it can be!

3. List all other expenses

Take another piece of paper and write down your regular expenses for each week. These are variable expenses like groceries, gas, and spending money. Divide these expenses according to how much you spend each week. For example, if you spend $600 per month on groceries, you will spend $150 per week.

Struggling to think of everything you need to include in your budget? Check your last two bank statements and comb through all your expenses. Categorize your expenses into categories such as food, gas, beauty care products, etc. By reviewing your past expenses, you are more likely to include all categories in your budget.

4. Allocating your salary to cover your bills and expenses

Once you have all of your bills on your budget calendar, it’s time to allocate your paycheck to pay for specific bills and expenses. To do this, you need to show the bills that you will pay with certain paychecks. If you plan to pay your electric bill with your green paycheck, highlight your electric bill in green.

Be prepared to use part of your salary to partially pay your bills in the coming weeks. Some of your biggest expenses, like yours Mortgageyou may need to cover it with multiple paychecks.

An easy way to save that money is to transfer the money you need to save into a separate checking or savings account. You can even call this account “Bills”, because you know it will help you cover all of your next month’s bills!

5. Write down your weekly budget

The final step is to set your weekly budget. Since you’re paid weekly, it makes sense to set a new budget each week.

Fortunately, this won’t take long. The more you work on developing a budget, the faster you will achieve it!

What happens when you have too many bills to pay at once?

What if your electricity, mortgage, mobile phone and internet bills are due in the same week? If this is your case, it’s time to contact each company and ask them to change the due date.

Take the time to explain that it will be easier for you, financially speaking, to delay your due date by a week or two. Most companies will gladly do this, especially if they think it will help you pay your bill on time! If you can spread out your bills throughout the month, you’ll be less stressful when it comes to paying them.

What if you don’t have enough money to pay all your bills?

If you’ve made a budget and still have too many bills or expenses, there are two solutions available to you.

The truth is, you can’t get away from basic math. Your income should be greater than your expenses, period. Otherwise, you will slowly start to go into debt or get sucked into your savings.

1. Find ways to remove items or money from your budget

If you can’t cover all of your expenses, one option is to cut items and expenses out of your budget. An easy way to spend less each month is to review each of your bills and ask yourself the following questions:

• Can I cancel this bill or subscription?
• Can I call and negotiate this invoice for a better rate?
• Should I shop around for a better rate?

By asking yourself these three questions, you will find ways to reduce your monthly bills.

2. Increase your income.

If you don’t have any extra expenses to cut from your budget (or if you don’t want to cut anything out of your budget), it’s time to increase your income! Check out 30 ways to make $500 fast For ideas on how to do thisIncrease your income !

Quick tips to make your weekly budget easier

Budgeting doesn’t have to be difficult when you’re getting paid weekly.

Here are some tips to make your budget easier.

• Remember that part of the funds remaining for this week must be carried over to the following weeks. It doesn’t hurt to have money left over in your budget. It’s a good thing! When you have money set aside, you are better prepared to deal with future bills and expenses.
• Create a separate checking account to pay bills. This way you can transfer money to your separate account to help cover future bills. Having a separate checking account makes paying bills so much easier!
• Organize the weekly budget meeting with yourself or your family. It could be a short 20-minute meeting where you pay bills, write your next budget, or keep track of your expenses. Make these budget meetings a priority by adding them to your weekly calendar!
• Remember that it takes time to get used to a budget. I strongly believe it takes at least 3-4 months to get used to the budget. You will forget an expense once in a while and that is normal. Give yourself some grace, because you’re in it for the long haul.

Conclusion

Budgeting when you’re getting paid weekly may seem more difficult, but it might be easier than you think! By following these 5 steps, you will be able to create a weekly budget that works for you and your family!