![]() But that doesn’t mean it has to break your budget. If you have children under school age and no available family members to watch them, you have to pay someone else to do so. There are other ways to save on medical expenses too. But health care expenses could mean a combination of a high-deductible health plan with HSA contributions. And you can always lower your utility bills. While you do need Internet, water, electricity, and possibly gas, you don’t need cable TV or a landline phone. Try out these easy ways to save money on groceries. But that doesn’t mean you need filet mignon. Buy the least expensive car that meets your needs if you want to build wealth faster. But even if you do need one, you don’t need to buy the most expensive car you can afford. Depending on where you live, you may or may not need a car. When you look for a new home, reframe the question from “What’s the most I can afford?” to “What’s the least I can spend on housing and still be happy?” You don’t necessarily need to pay for it yourself, as house hacking demonstrates, but you do need a place to call home. While you can find creative ways to reduce or avoid these expenses, most financial experts call these mandatory living expenses. Still, the separation of mandatory and discretionary expenses helps remind you where you have the easiest room to adjust your spending on a month-to-month basis. ![]() And you can always spend less, even on mandatory expenses. The term “mandatory” is misleading, as there’s almost always a way to avoid paying even these expenses. Your monthly expenses fall into two broad categories: mandatory and discretionary. ![]() In a separate side section, list out your passive income streams as well. Don’t forget to subtract out taxes for these, as you’ll owe estimated quarterly taxes for them. Then list out all additional active income streams, such as side hustles. Or, if you must, toward a separate account for irregular expenses such as gifts. In the months when you collect a “bonus” paycheck, you can put it toward savings or paying down debt. Four weeks’ income is all you can count on in any given month, so your budget for monthly expenses must fit that. If you get paid weekly or biweekly, list four weeks’ of income here, not your theoretical monthly income based on 52 weeks’ pay divided by 12. List your pretax income, then the amount of taxes taken out by your employer (if applicable). Start with your full-time job or main gig income. They also offer a free 30-day trial so you can make sure it’s right for you. After connecting your bank account and credit cards, Tiller will automatically pull transactions and update your Google Sheets or Excel budget. Pro tip: If you want to make budgeting with Google Sheets or Excel even easier, you could sign up for Tiller. Now you can go about plotting a route to reach that savings rate. You already set a savings amount, so write that in first. The spreadsheet should include four categories: savings, income, expenses, and financial summary. You don’t even need to create it yourself - try our sample budget template in Google Sheets. You don’t have to be an Excel whiz to put together a simple monthly budget. The rest of budgeting is an exercise in how to achieve it. With your spending in check and your Cleo Credit Builder Card activated, you’re ready to direct your savings toward longer-term goals.
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