#Managing a budget

[pjakes]

Ten Ways to Bulletproof Your Budget

Managing personal finances can be challenging in today’s fast-paced world. However, you can bulletproof your budget with a few strategic moves and ensure financial stability. Here are ten ways to fortify your financial plan: 1. **Embrace the 50/30/20 Rule**: Allocate 50% of your income to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings and debt repayment. 2. **Track Your Spending**: Keep an eye on…

[wonnieaura]

financial knowledge for the girlies 🤍🍓💸

Develop a budget: Creating and sticking to a budget can help you better understand your income and expenses, and learn how to prioritize your spending.

Save regularly: Saving money is crucial for achieving financial stability. You can set up automatic transfers to a savings account so you won't be tempted to spend the money.

Pay off debt: High-interest debt can hinder your financial progress. Make a plan to pay off your debts and focus on high-interest debts first.

Invest wisely: Investing can help your money grow over time. Look for low-cost index funds, which can give you broad exposure to the market at a low cost.

Understand compound interest: Compound interest is the interest you earn on interest. By investing consistently, the power of compound interest can help you build wealth over time.

Research before making big financial decisions: Before making a major decision, such as buying a house or car, research different options and weigh the costs and benefits.

Learn from your mistakes: Every failure or setback can teach you something valuable. Use these experiences to inform your future financial decisions.

Get professional advice: Seek advice from a financial advisor if you're unsure about your financial decisions. They can provide guidance on investments, retirement planning, and tax strategies.

Be aware of scams: Scammers can take advantage of financial illiteracy. Be cautious when someone offers an investment that's too good to be true.

Continuous learning: Financial knowledge is constantly changing, so stay informed by regularly reading financial news, books, and attending classes or webinars.

[relaxedstyles]

[dickfuckk]

Every time i tell people i buy groceries every 14 days they seem shocked by this and tell me they buy groceries every day or several times a week.

That in turn blows my mind, as someone who couldn’t possibly hate buying groceries more than i do, i can’t imagine doing it that often.

Bonus if you tell me in the tags how you feel about shopping for groceries. Do you hate it with a passion like me? Feel indifferent to it, just another chore? Or do you somehow love it?

[srldesigns6277]

Executive Order on Education Part 1: Treatment of Trans Students (01/29/25)

Sec. 2. Definitions. As used herein: (a) The definitions in the Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” (January 20, 2025) shall apply to this order. (b) “Discriminatory equity ideology” means an ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups rather than as individuals and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations, including that:

(e)  “Social transition” means the process of adopting a “gender identity” or “gender marker” that differs from a person’s sex.  This process can include psychological or psychiatric counseling or treatment by a school counselor or other provider; modifying a person’s name (e.g., “Jane” to “James”) or pronouns (e.g., “him” to “her”); calling a child “nonbinary”; use of intimate facilities and accommodations such as bathrooms or locker rooms specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex; and participating in school athletic competitions or other extracurricular activities specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex.  “Social transition” does not include chemical or surgical mutilation.

Sec. 3. Ending Indoctrination Strategy. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, to advise the President in formulating future policy, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall provide an Ending Indoctrination Strategy to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, containing recommendations and a plan for:

This Order is forcing Teachers to Dead-Name students while calling out wildly untrue ideas of how apparently teachers are allowing for students to "mutilate themselves." Should Schools not comply with this order they will lose Federal Funding. They can also lose funding if they even just have Gender Neutral Bathrooms too. Schools with Gender Neutral Bathrooms already could be subject to investigations anyway.

TRANS RIGHTS ARE FUCKING HUMAN RIGHTS, PROTECT TRANS KIDS!!!!!!!!

[saywhat-politics]

Multiple groups call on Senate to reject Vought nomination

Groups oppose Trump's nominee for OMB director

[kaiserin-erzsebet]

My hottest take: if we must continue to make shows with Empress Elisabeth, I want a long series in the style and spirit of The Crown about Franz Joseph.

I think freeing Sisi from being a girlboss critic-of-monarchy main character would actually be much better.

[why-the-heck-not]

20.12.23, wednesday

My main hobby is just procrastinating in any way I can. The plan was to make a cup of coffee and then start working. What actually happened is that I watched a 3 part video series (by james hoffmann ofc) on Aeropress coffee and made a few cups with different variables. Still not sure if I found The Recipe for me, but it’s getting better (tho I don’t love the coffee beans I have)

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 13

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Hello Goddesses! I know that talking about money, can feel scary or boring, but after working on our stress management tools yesterday, it's perfect timing to address something that's often a huge source of stress for many of us: finances.

First things first: if thinking about money makes you want to hide under your blanket, you're not alone. But taking control of your finances isn't about becoming a math genius or never buying another coffee again. It's about making friends with your money so it can help you live your best life.

Let's break this down into bite-sized pieces that won't give you a headache:

Start Where You Are

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike? You didn't start by doing tricks, you started with training wheels. Money management is the same way! First step: just look at your current situation. Open those banking apps you've been avoiding. Take a deep breath and look at your statements. Knowledge is power, even if it's a bit scary at first.

The Money Map Exercise

Grab a piece of paper (or open your notes app) and let's do something simple:

Write down all your income sources

List your regular monthly expenses (yes, including those sneaky subscriptions!)

Don't forget those irregular expenses like annual fees or seasonal costs

Look at what's left (or what's missing)

Congratulations! You've just created your first basic budget outline.

The 50/30/20 Guideline

Here's a popular way to think about your money:

50% for needs (rent, groceries, utilities)

30% for wants (fun stuff, shopping, entertainment)

20% for future you (savings, debt payment, investments)

These numbers might not work for everyone, especially depending on where you live. The important thing is to have some kind of plan that works for YOU.

Smart Money Habits You Can Start Today

The 24-Hour Rule: For non-essential purchases over a certain amount (you decide the number!), wait 24 hours before buying. You'd be surprised how many "must-haves" become "maybe nots" overnight!

Bill Calendar: Set up a simple calendar with all your bill due dates. Future you will be so grateful!

Automate Your Savings: Even if it's just $5 a week, set up automatic transfers to a savings account. It's like hiding money from yourself!

Track Your Spending: For just one week, write down every single purchase. No judging, just observing. You might find some surprising patterns!

The Emergency Fund Challenge

Let's start building that safety net! Even $500 in savings can make a huge difference in an emergency. Start with a goal of saving just $25 this week. Too much? Start with $10. Too little? Make it $50. The amount isn't as important as getting started.

Money Goals That Make Sense

Instead of vague goals like "save more," try specific ones like:

Save enough for three months of basic expenses by December 2025

Pay off one credit card by summer

Create a "fun fund" for that hobby you've been wanting to try

Your financial journey is exactly that, YOURS. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else. The person on Instagram showing off their investment portfolio might still be paying off massive debt. Focus on your own path!

Your mission for today:

Look at your bank statement (I know, scary, but you can do it!)

Pick ONE money habit from this post to try this week

Set ONE specific financial goal for 2025

See you tomorrow for Day 14! Remember, every financial decision you make today is a gift to your future self.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jennifer Scholtes at Politico:

One week in, the Trump administration is broadening its assault on the functions of government and shifting control of the federal purse strings further away from members of Congress. President Donald Trump’s budget office on Monday ordered a total freeze on “all federal financial assistance” that could be targeted under his previous executive orders that pausing funding for a wide range of priorities – from domestic infrastructure and energy projects to diversity-related programs and foreign aid. In a two-page memo obtained by POLITICO, the Office of Management and Budget announced all federal agencies would be forced to temporarily suspend payments, while making clear that Social Security and Medicare would not be affected. “The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” according to the memo, which three people authenticated.

The new order could affect billions of dollars in grants to state and local governments, while also creating disruptions to programs that benefit U.S. households. But in the immediate aftermath there was also widespread confusion over how the memo would be implemented and whether it may face legal challenges. While the memo says the funding pause does not include assistance “provided directly to individuals,” for instance, it does not clarify whether that includes money sent first to states or organizations and then provided to households. The brief memo also does not detail all payments that will be halted. However, it broadly orders federal agencies to “temporarily” stop sending all federal financial assistance that could be affected by Trump’s executive actions.

That includes the president’s orders to freeze all funding from Democrats’ signature climate and spending law called the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure package enacted in 2021, along with a 90-day freeze of all foreign aid. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement decried the announcement as an example of “more lawlessness and chaos in America as Donald Trump’s Administration blatantly disobeys the law by holding up virtually all vital funds that support programs in every community across the country.”

The OMB under Tyrant 47’s misadministration puts out a “temporary” freeze to most federal aid and grants, including food assistance, Medicaid, farm aid, Head Start, and rent assistance. Social Security and Medicare are exempted.

This is dangerous and dictatorial, and must be resisted.

See Also:

HuffPost: Donald Trump Orders Freeze On All Federal Grants And Loans In Huge Power Grab

The Hill: Trump administration directs widespread pause of federal loans and grants

Reuters: White House pauses federal grant, loan, and other assistance programs

NOTUS: Trump Administration Orders Sudden Freeze on Federal Aid

[lesbianalanwake]

getting lore drops for FBC field offices during Oldest House lockdown has me foaming at the mouth for information. yes I need to know all the tedious details about how the bureaucracy continues to shamble along like a zombie. are they still embezzling from the US government

[bitchesgetriches]

Hey Bitches! Long-time reader, first time asker :)

I have a budgeting question!

I'm a 21 year old student living with my (employed) partner independent from both our families. I'm unemployed at the moment, but will be starting a (min wage, limited hours, career-benefiting, year-long-contracted) job starting next month. I'll also be looking into selling plasma and/or picking up a gig app to supplement the pay

I find that a lot of what makes budgets useful doesn't really work for me because most of my spending areas that can be minimized have already been minimized, and I limit and track myself so much already because I know I don't have a lot of wiggle room to spend frivolously. So most of the time, I use a spending tracker spreadsheet

However, my credit union has a built-in budget feature I like to poke around on sometimes, too. It can be nice to have a goal in mind and to feel like I did a good job at the end of the month when (most) everything is green (I was over-budget for my cat by 11 cents last month)

BUT! I can only set a budget for one month's length. This seems to be the norm and is pretty common when I look at budgeting examples

This is great for things that happen on a monthly basis (like gas, for example), where, after years of tracking my spending data, I have a solid idea of how much I can realistically expect to spend in that time. But it really sucks for things that aren't as frequent, but do happen on a regular basis (like car registration or tuition, which come once a year and every few months, respectively)

I'm kind of at a loss for how to represent or calculate these kinds of items on a budget/spending tracker (like when I'm pulling for an average over a length of time, or categorizing my spending when one value is superbly high in a sea of much smaller numbers)

Gas is about $50/month, car registration is about $100/year. I think it's a poor representation to say I need $150/month for auto expenses. I'm not spending that $100 most of the time, but I'm not expecting to pay it most of the time, so it feels wrong to say I'm saving a ton of money every month. But it also isn't great to have only $50 budgeted when registration month rolls around and I'm in the red by $100 (not to mention inconsistent maintenance of wildly varying cost)

Likewise, I wouldn't say I'm under-budget by $2,000 on the months I don't have tuition due, but it can't be correct to have a $0 budget that gets super red every three months. Dividing it up to $666 a month gets the same problem where I'm either super green, not spending anything, "saving" a ton, or very in the red, very over-budget when my tuition actually comes due. There is an option to split up payments, but it adds a $50 payment plan fee, which (in addition to generally being shitty by punishing anyone who doesn't make the lump sum) doesn't feel worth it just to make my books look nice

I've seen some recommendations to use a sinking fund for these expenses, putting money aside each month in preparation for the big expense, but

A. where exactly do you put that portion "aside" into? I have a checking, savings, (secured) credit card, and a CD account (the latter two of which I can't easily move money around in). Besides putting money into my savings account from my checking (which, when employed and receiving income, I already do), I don't understand how this works. Do people just open and have several accounts going for each expense that isn't on a monthly pattern?

And B. I'm in a fortunate enough position that I'm (just barely! Job is coming with amazing timing!) able to make single payments on these expected bigger expenses without having to meticulously save up for them. It doesn't fix my budget being wonky on months with/out these non-monthly expenses, and I would like to actually have a working budget, but do I even need to make a sinking fund if I can afford it with the habits/systems I already have?

I've also seen people using different budgets for different times. Most often, this is seasonal: a winter budget with higher heating expenses planned, a summer budget with lower heating expenses planned kind of deal. This feels closer to what I'm looking for than a sinking fund, but making a different monthly budget around each varying expense and overlapping occurrences (or lack thereof) feels cumbersome and tedious (to make, keep track of, alter, and change every month)

I could have a yearly budget, but it feels risky to go such a long time without knowing how on-track I am and my life is so in flux right now that I don't know what to expect that far into the future. Plus, like I said, I only have the option for monthly budgets in my credit union.

I expect having a more stable and higher income will help a lot (assuming I can get there). As will not having to pay for huge-stressful-chunks-of-savings-every-three-months-except-for-summertime tuition (I'll be done next year almost to the day!). I know there will still be yearly and bi-yearly expenses (and surprises) that I'll have to be ready to pay for, but I'm hoping I'll have more staggering control.

So, I've come to you, Bitches, if there is a better way to address these big, non-monthly expenses, or if I'm just missing something in one of the suggestions above, I'd be jazzed to hear about it and not have to wait to better grasp this part of my finances.

Thank you, Bitches!!

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE DON'T THINK BUDGETS ARE RIGHT FOR EVERYONE.

My first instinct is to tell you to ignore your bank's budgeting software. It doesn't matter. You're doing great with your personal spending tracker and you seem to have a very good hold of your expenses. So that's an option.

The other option is combining the budget with a sinking fund. Some banks will include "buckets" within your account that you can access through their online portal. For example, my Ally HYSA allows me to set up buckets within the account so I can budget for what I'm saving for our kitchen renovation, for example. It makes using a sinking fund real easy.

But not every bank has that functionality! So again, I can't stress enough how much a budget just might not be right for your situation right now.

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead 

Ask Not How Much You Should Save, Ask How Much You Should Spend 

Did we just help you out? Join our Patreon!

[swagging-back-to]

ways to actually save money

stop buying animal products ($10 for a single meal vs $10 for months worth of beans) + benefit of saving planet

use wash cloths for wiping urine + benefit of saving planet.

get a menstrual cup or panties. yes, even if you have a heavy flow.. the chemicals in tampons and pads leads to heavier, more painful, and smellier periods. +benefit of saving planet.

shampoo bars, lasts way longer + benefit of saving planet.

stop buying name brand

stop buying makeup + benefit of saving planet

stop buying nail polish + benefit of saving planet

stop buying synthetic clothes. + benefit of saving planet

reuse (soap free) tub and shower water for plants, laundry. + benefit of saving planet.

hang clothes to dry, even if you don't have an outdoor area. hang in the windows, by fireplaces, by heaters and ac units. + benefit of saving planet

stop buying niche chemical products. for almost every single cleaning situation you only need soap, baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and bleach. this goes for gout removal, rust removal, urine removal, window cleaner, sanitizing wipes, literally every single thing. + benefit of saving planet

repurpose old clothes and towels by making them into wash cloths and oven mitts.

stop buying from shein, temu, amazon, and using afterpay. (im not demonizing pay later. i utilize it all the time. I've just found a lot of people who do use these payment methods treat it like a 'buy now, pay NEVER' option and are surprised when it fucks them over)

remember this any time someone tries to tell you being eco friendly isn't affordable.

know what really isnt affordable? buying disposable products every week.

[qqchurch]

observe: Kanon Takao / Nontan (Togawa Sakiko) digging through the guts of a giant bear as well as casually ripping off its eyes

[thepersonalwords]

Budgeting has only one rule: Do not go over budget.

Leslie Tayne, Life & Debt: A Fresh Approach to Achieving Financial Wellness