Whether you’ve never taken a good, hard look at your bank account or you’ve already wiped out all your debt, I’m betting your budget process could use a little TLC.
I can GUARANTEE this is the most fun you will ever have managing your money.
Most products charge monthly, annually, or limit the customization options. Everything is bunched up in a one-size fits all bucket and it just….. doesn’t work that way.
When I started budgeting to pay off my student debt and build a nest egg, I pulled out all the stops. Binders. Envelopes. Highlighters. Apps. You name it, I used it.
I have “set up a budget” more times than I can count, but couldn’t seem to follow through. It was hard to commit and ultimately, hard to care.
Sound familiar? I loved the idea of budgeting and building wealth, but I couldn’t find a way to love the process. My crafty binders went untouched and honestly writing out each expense, saving receipts, and crossing my fingers when I added it all up (fully expecting to lose my place or fat-finger the wrong digits) was more stressful than being broke.
All of the budget lovers I came across all recommend things like Mint and YNAB, but Mint falls short on the functionality side and YNAB costs money (and I’m not trying to budget for that). And I still felt that debilitating ANXIETY every time I logged into my bank account.
You know the kind… Even my bank offers a “breakdown” of expenses, but those robots are not foolproof, and you never really know what’s getting thrown into which bucket unless you dig in for yourself.
It was time to make something stick, so when my husband and I were both fully employed (for the first time in years) I put my head down and started this.
Rejoice!
That was in December 2018. Since then (with this system) I have been able to…
- accurately plan for predictable expenses (and make room for more fun stuff)
- catch COUNTLESS fraudulent charges (and unnecessary subscriptions)
- seriously lower our debt and pay off my car 2 years early…!
- start focusing on our LONG-TERM GOALS like retirement and college savings
- watch our net worth grow, steadily and intentionally
My only priorities were that it was simple and accurate. I want to spend as little time as possible but I still want to comb through every expense and see where they fall into my completely customized budget.
This budget can be easily adjusted on a monthly basis for the zero based budget, the 50/30/20 rule, and anything else you can come up with. AND you will save all past history without throwing off your not-so-hard work or starting from scratch.
I’ve been dying to share it and make it accessible to others, because I KNOW you will love it too. I spend no more than 45 minutes a month managing my budget and I honestly get so. damn. excited. to check back in on the first.
So if you are…
tired of the popular apps (Mint, YNAB, etc) and haven’t been thrilled with the one-size-fits-all features
ready to start tracking for real and stop glancing at whatever “breakdown” your current method assigns to your transactions
excited to uplevel your budget and finally apply all those fun methods you’ve been dying to try but haven’t been able to make work
ready to get a good, hard look at your money and give it the attention it deserves without spending HOURS every day/week/month?
then you know what’s next…
What you get
- the fillable google sheets budget template & workbook
- easily customizable expense categories
- detailed instructions to use the shareable workbook
- the family access sheet for common shared account credentials
- the savings goal tracker
- Lifetime access to updates and added features
- monthly reminder emails from me (so you can make it your new favorite habit!)
I’m ashley, your new favorite financial shaman and cheerleader.
I blog about making, saving, and living intentionally with virtually no spare time over at prettypassive.com
Stick with me for transparent tricks and straightforward tutorials!