Budgeting isn’t exactly a fun activity. There’s all the number crunching, not to mention the sheer stress that comes with trying to figure out how much money you have coming in and what your monthly expenses are.
However, there are ways to make it more enjoyable. And the more fun you can make it, the higher the chances you will stick to this habit and stay on top of your finances. So, here are six ways to inject some enjoyment into your budgeting:
Make Your Budget Spreadsheet Colorful
If you’re already using a spreadsheet to keep track of your budget, there’s no reason why you can’t make it more fun. Color-code different expenses, use a variety of fonts, use seasonal colors and digital stickers – anything to make the numbers easier to look at.
If you also have a physical spreadsheet or you’re using a journal for budgeting purposes, grab yourself some colorful pens, washi tape, stickers, and cute notes. The artistic element will help you deal with the boredom of the math.
Make It Easy to Do
You also want to make budgeting as simple and easy as possible. You don’t need millions of tabs and cards. All you need to do is understand how much money you’ve earned and spent in a month, and roughly on what.
Write down your recurring monthly expenses that aren’t likely to fluctuate much. Set up a budget for the basic necessities, like groceries and transportation. When you have clear brackets to work within, it will be easier to manage your spending.
Save for Something Fun
While you’re probably going to be putting money aside for things like “emergency funds” and “family holidays,” try to relabel these goals. The emergency fund can be “a rainy day that never comes,” and the family holiday can be “replacing screens with books time.” Anything that sounds positive and uplifting to you.
This simple change will take away a lot of the stress around savings. It can help you start looking at it as a fun activity with a clear, enjoyable goal.
Look for Online Deals
One of the best ways to save money when shopping is to regularly look for deals. With just a bit of time and effort, you can save significant amounts on everything from clothing and homeware to accessories and toys.
Think of this as your fun online shopping time. While you’re not buying anything yet, you can spend an hour a week browsing deals and sales and find the best ones for your family.
Gamify Your Budgeting
Gamification is used to achieve all kinds of goals, from fitness to finances. You can set your own game goals and objectives, add buffs and debuffs, and create an entire storyline around it.
When setting rewards, make sure they don’t outweigh the savings. For example, don’t spend all of the $100 you’ve saved in a month on a night out. Try to find rewards that don’t require a lot of spending and that rely on things you already own. Think in terms of experiences rather than buying new items.
Write the rules down and include the entire family. If you support each other and help each other persevere, you can save more money and keep track of your spending together.
Don’t Be Hard on Yourself
One of the reasons budgeting is so difficult for a lot of us is our demand for perfection. We give ourselves hell when we don’t stick to the plan and overspend, we get frustrated when unexpected expenses arise and we expect ourselves to be on point all the time.
This is not a realistic expectation, so it will only lead to more and more stress. Instead of shooting for the stars and trying to achieve the impossible, admit that you are only human and cut yourself some slack.
So what if you bought an extra tub of ice cream? Enjoy every morsel, and make it a treat. You’ve bought another pair of shoes you don’t need? Walk in them proudly with your head held high.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should reward yourself for spending excessive amounts on things you don’t need. But if you are sticking to your budget most of the time, forgive yourself for the tiny transgressions.
Wrapping Up
Try to incorporate some of these tips into your monthly and weekly budgeting routine. It may seem silly at first, but you’ll soon start to view the task as less of a hassle and more of an enjoyment.