How many MFP'ers are struggling with money?

olDave

By the way.....you don't need anything but paper and pencil to make a budget.

Good luck!

True. But you don't need MFP.com to meet your fitness or diet goals but it sure is helpful... and fun

Apples and oranges.

gostumpy

Wow this took off quickly! Posted this before I went to work, now at lunchtime there are 60+ replies!

Definitely a hot topic!

I understand that since we are here on MFP tracking our food, we are very suited to tracking our finances as well... most people that don't track anything won't be tracking their food intake

I started out with pen & paper, moved to excel, and then on a finance podcast I heard about YNAB... decided to try the 34 day free Trial... Glad I did! Such a supportive & involved community related to it, as well: http://www.youneedabudget.com/forum/ Along with free live webinars for budgeting held daily! (Can you tell I YNAB?)


Creating a budget is EASY.

FOLLOWING IT is the hard part!

Looking back at what you spent is better than nothing, but it doesn't do very much to keep you on track, in line with your budgeting goals. Looking forward at how much you have left in a category while spending is the most important part of keeping on budget THAT is what I absolutely love about YNAB. If only I had a smartphone, I could input the spending right then and there!



I am struggling to pay down debt currently, so it is vital to keep my spending in check so I can hit my goals of $1500/mo towards debt Couldn't do more than $500/mo before my budgeting phase!!

meljoemom

bump

AddieOverhaul

I have had some issues with Mint, like it not being able to find my bank loan even though it shows up in my online banking with my other accounts.

I am pretty good with money now, but I do have a fair amount of debt (both student loans, one credit card and one bank loan). One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get all of my consumer debt paid off this year. Luckily I have cheap rent where I'm at currently, but I will have to move in about 1.5-2 years so I'm trying to take advantage of it so I will be in a better position when my rent goes up again. A number of life circumstances plus being impulsive and irresponsible when I was younger led to my debt.

I got a gift card to Chapters (Canadian bookstore chain) for Christmas, so I'm going to buy Gail Van-Oxlade's book, Debt Free Forever. It's been recommended by a number of people and I've already read a bit of it once in the past.

I've set a very ambitious goal this year which is going to require me to live very frugally in order to achieve it, but it will be worth it. I've made a lot of sacrifices in order to lower my expenses so I can pay off my debt. I gave up my car and got a roommate, for example. I don't really travel at all for the time being. A lot of my friends have tons of debt but are unwilling to sacrifice any aspects of their lifestyle and so they never make any progress.

The one thing I really need to be diligent about is how much Is pend on food. I buy my lunch out all the time, so I've been trying to make batches of food on Sundays that i can bring to work throughout the week - which not only saves money but is generally the healthier option as well.

Thanks for posting this, I wish more people would talk openly about their financial struggles. My friends and I are fairly open so we try to plan fun things that are cheap or free, like potlucks and Games Nights.

Sinisterly

I'm struggling with a lot of things, but money isn't one of them.

Unknown

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