Do you have a budget and do you live by it?

I really don't have a budget. I just bring in money and kind of determine on my own if I'm getting too close to spending more than I had wanted for that time period or not and then I adjust my spending accordingly. If I've spent a lot more than I had wanted or thought I was going to spend then it's time for me to cut my spending until I'm back up to the amount of cash that I had planned on having.

I have a budget and i live according to that ,but it is quite difficult to maintain my budget.Bcoz i am just a human being i will have some interest on something but it may not be suitable for my budget ,However i try to live according to my budget .If you live without a proper budget ,it will affect your family development and you will be forced to get debt .so i think it is necessary to have a proper budget for the happy life .

Budget? What's a budget? I pay my bills at the first of the month and try to keep some money so I can buy things at the end, but pretty much, if I don't have money, I don't get it.

We never had a budget and stink at money. Starting this month I told hubby that we NEED a budget and we NEED to stick to it!!! It is not hard, either, it is just fighting with him to do it.

I do have a budget and I pretty much live by it. Since I'm the only 1 working I have to. My first check of the month goes to rent and the leftover is for groceries. The second one is for bills. Once a month we go out to play some nickels at our favorite bar. And lucky me, that's today.

I have never really made a budget for my expenditure. Every month when i get my salary, i first of all pay off the bills and then buy food articles needed for the month. i put some percentage of teh salary in a recurring deposit to save for the annual insurance payments. Then I spend as and when I need something. If I have money i spend if not, i jsut hold tight till the next pay day.

I try to have one and also try to live within the budget.But every month brings with it a new expenditure which is important.It is very tough to live within the budget.The only solution is to try to earn more money.

Yes we have a budget. In fact we have 2 budgets, one of which is personal and the other is for our small farmlet. As far as possible we try to stick to both of them but sometimes find that things go wrong or there is a machinery breakdown and that can affect the situation. We do budget for maintenance of our machinery of course but muyphy's law is that the day we really need that piece of machinery it will breakdown. Furthermore, we won't be able to fix it ourselves and there won't be a part within 4 hours drive of us. That is the budget blown as it means we either have to go and collect the part ourselves, which takes us away from the work. Maybe we can ask someone else (like my brother) to pick it up and bring it to us which is several hous delay. More often than not we end up doing by hand whatever it was that we needed that piece of machinery for and that means we need additional labor, which equates to higher costs. Thankfully it does not happen too often but when it does we only hope that we can sell additional of our produce to cover those unexpected expenses. Of course whether we meet the income on the the farm budget will depend on a number of factors. They include rain at the right time and no rain at the wrong time, because that can destroy the entire crop in some cases. Then we need a good yield from our fruit and vegetables, having the produce that people want and when the want it as well. Last but not least is getting the prices that we hope and budget for but more is also very welcome. lol On a personal level, we cope much better. We have special savings accounts set up for specific things, i.e. we put so much money aside for the weddings. To date 3 have made the trip down the aisle but we still have 3 more to go and only enough money right now for 2 of them. lol We also save money for our grandchildren and that goes into Trust until they are adults. At the slow rate and age our children are procreating, we will not be around or have the money for the last of the grandchildren. They are all tio be treated equally which is why we save for them now. We draw up a shopping list before we go for groceres and buy only what is on the list. We do a big grocery shop every couple of months because we can store things either in the pantry or freezer. We buy a few things locally but not much and only that is on special because this is a small town and prices are high. We allocate so much money for the groceries and if we do not have enogh money, then we do not get some things on our list. However often things are on special and the final cost is less than we budgeted for. Depends on how we feel as to what we do with the overbudget money. Sometimes we might buy more of the staple foods or sometimes we might have a bit of a splurge and treat ourselves. So as you can see we do have a budget and try to stick to it plus we put money aside for emergencies or the unexepected. We have had to be this way because we had no money between us when we met although we had the common problem of lots of debts. lol We were not exactly young, had 6 children between us and all of them still at home and dependant on us. We took a chance and bought our small farmlet and now our aim is to own it and all the eqipment/machinery when we retire in a few years time. That is to have no debts at all by then and if possible have a litle bit in savings which will be supplemented by our superannuation and any earnings from the farm.

Hi JenInTn, I don't have a budget. I just pay when I have to pay. Luckily,I did not land in any financial crisis.Perhaps may be because I am not a lavish spender. But what ideal way of spending is,you must have a budget,where you should also include savings. Your budget should never be a deficit budget like the governments do. Happy Mylotting

Yes, we both are working couple and we get salaries from our respective office. We generally spend our money, within the budget. We do not have any other source of income, other than salaries, so we limit ourselves. However, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances the budget crosses its limit, then we go for loan, which could be paid in easy installments.

I do have a budget and for the most part....I do live by it. There is very little left after putting aside for bills. My daughter is very aware that we are tight on cash and does well with working with me. Every now and again, she will want or need something that goes a little out of our budget. Because she is so good about things, I usually do my best to juggle things around and get it for her. Other times, there is no option but to juggle & pray that it all works out....car needs work or something.

oh... i have a budget.. i really do. i honestly do too. it's just that, things just don't normally happen as expected & *hee* i do go a little over at times. Well, you can't blame me can you. It's not like it's my fault that i see something i like and it's either on sale or it's the last piece. I absolutely salute those who live very strictly by their budget. it means that they are very good savers too.

we try too but it never works at all

I have a budget and I try to live by it...But sometimes it does go a little extra line and then I take loan from MOM which I pay next month..Its works out well..My mom is the one who encouraged me to have a budget of my own..It helps you feel relaxed and under control even if its not so...Have a nice day!

Budget plays a role of back bone in our finacial life. The people do not like to make estimates and spend with out any planning become poor. I use to make the budget and spend my earnings foolowing my budget. This helps me to keep myself normal and happy life. I think budget is best tool for the wise spenders.

We don't really have a budget, we just pay what we have to pay when we have to pay it, and either save the rest or spend it on whatever we need or want. We don't ever overspend tho, we always have enough to make sure the bills get paid.

I do live by a budget now although I never used to and then I found myself getting into trouble financially. I started relying on my overdraft facility and I continued to go deeper and deeper into my overdraft. Anyway, that is a thing of the past now. I think that it is a good idea to budget as you know where you stand to the penny. I don't save money, I don't have enough to save although I would like to do that at some point in the future. I budget my money every week and put everything aside that I need to and then I know what I have left over until next payment. Andrew

Yes, I have it since I began to work. When I was in my college I never had a budget, at that time, most of the money I spend was my parents gave me, I never worried about the money, but since I graduated from college, found a job, I found if I don't make a budget I will have no money to spent in the end of the month. My salary is too low in my hometown, I am trying to find a new job.

I think i don't live by my budget strictly.I spend my money not often cause i seldom go shopping.I buy clothes,shoes,pants,earrings and skin care products and so on in the netshop instead,aha.It saves some money for me. The largest expenditure is to eat for me.I get several funds with the rest money.

almost 90% of the Chinese have a budget to live and most of them can abey. I am one of them. If in China, I have USD:3000.00 per month, I will spend 40% and 60% left for save up, because Chinese welfarism is not so good, you need to leave some money to pay exact request. But if in European country, I will send 80% and leave 20%, the life will be easier and more relaxing. I am traditional....