Back on day one, we created a {new budget}. On day two, we created an {envelope system}. And now on day three I am challenging you to create a “Budget Box”. I chose a box instead of a binder for this project simply because the extra space is needed. A binder would not hold all of my monthly bills, extra print outs, etc. You can use whatever works for you as long as you have a designated space for everything!
Are you keeping track?
I hope you are keeping track of your expenses this week! So far, the only thing I have spent since Sunday, was a Shaklee purchase for 2 customers (I don’t count that since the money will be going back) and a Shaklee purchase for myself that came to $75.25. I will be keeping track right along with you.
What is a Budget Box?
A “Budget Box” is a box that contains everything you need to pay bills & organize your finances. When it’s time to pay your bills on payday, you will take out your budget box. No more searching the house for everything you need. Its all right here! My budget box contains a file folder for each of these:
1. Bills Due
2. Paid Bills {Current Year}
3. My Monthly Budget
4. Pay Stubs
5. Blank Budget Forms
6. Dave Ramsey Forms
7. Receipts {Current Month}
8. Emergency Fund Accts {Car Fund, Medical Fund, Other}
9. Investments
10. Savings Budgets {Vacation, Holidays, Future Purchases}
11. Financial Goals
12. Accounts {List of all debts, including acct. # and phone #’s}
12. Accounts {List of all debts, including acct. # and phone #’s}
I purchased the box at Walmart and the file folders at Target.
Here is Dave Ramsey’s {Monthly Cash Flow Plan}. This is a great detailed budget form. I use this every few months, to re-assess my debt.
For monthly budgeting, I personally use Clean Mama’s {monthly budget worksheet}. I love how she separated it into 4 weeks. Since we have multiple paydays each month (2 from my husband, and 3+ from me), I still only pay bills twice per month, but I write out when the bills are due each week.
I purchased this plastic file container at target for about $5.00.
It holds:
Envelopes
Address Labels
Calculator
Pens & Pencils
Stamps
Check Book
I lLove the colorful labels. (I give credit to Erin Condren & Iheartorganizing for the colorful style labels).
Good luck creating your BUDGET BOX!
**NOTE**
I have had a few emails about what I use for my “savings budgeting”. I have simply been writing my goals down with pen and paper. (I use a separate paper for each savings goal). But, I found this savings budget form from Microsoft ‘s website. It would work perfectly. I am going to re-create one for myself in Office. Microsoft has a ton of budgeting forms on their website. {Here} is the link. You can also create your own and upload it to their website.
If you have not already done so, join my “ORGANIZE YOUR FINANCES” challenge {here}. Also grab a button for your post and link up. Tomorrow we will be creating our debt snowball & looking at free budgeting software.
Happy Organizing!
Tags: budget box, Dave Ramsey, debt free, how to organize your finances, organize
Budget, budget box, budgeting, dave ramsey, filing, finances, Organize, Organizing Your Finances Series, weekly challenge Posted in
21 comments
21 comments on “Part 3 – Organize your finances week… creating a “budget box””
This is such a great weekly challenge, I just wish I was doing it along side everyone! I won’t know our income / outgoings until the end of the month when new bill accounts start and I know what’s going on! But I’m doing as much as I can now to make it easier later on, some fantastic tips and advice, thanks Toni!
I love this challenge – it is so useful for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Tone
What a great idea! I love how organized it is!
I’ve been enjoying this challenge! I love your budget box, all the colorful labels and those cute folders…and obviously the organization of it all! I think you pretty much answered this question in your post, but is your “method” for paying bills just to pay them all on pay day? I need to come up with a better bill paying system!
Love this idea!! We really need something like that for our bills.
Cara, Yes. I pay my bills ONLY 2 times a month. So if I get paid on the 1st and 15th… all bills due between the 1st and 15th get paid on the 15th.. and all bills due between the 15th and the 31st get paid on the 1st. That means a lot of bills will be paid early and thats great! Does this makes sense? Its so easy to do and keep track of.
Toni
Toni, I do the same bill paying technique, though I guess mine don’t get paid as early as yours! 🙂 My hubby is military and I am a SAHM, so we only get paid the 1st and 15th. I pay all bills die between the 1st and 15th the day we get paid on the 1st and all the bills due between the 15th and 31st are paid when we get paid on the 15th. Also, I adjusted their due dates so they are equally spread out over the pay periods. Our mortgage is the only bill due on the 1st, since it is so large, and then everything else is on the 15th. They tend to be about equal, so we aren’t paying more one paycheck that the other.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have been struggling because paperwork is the one part of my household I don’t feel like I can get under control (from and organizational standpoint). This tutorial is exactly what I needed.
katieshowto.blogspot.com
Love your new header!
This looks so organized. love it!
Jiminy Cricket you even make bill paying look pretty!
♥
What do you use for your savings budget? Form and also how do you calculate how much to put in each?
Amy, I added it to the post above. 🙂
Toni
I’ve enjoyed your blog so much, I wanted to pass the Versatile Blogger award to you. You can check it out at http://theblogfrog.com/1502608/forum/82132/versatile-blogger-award—lets-begin.html.
Sincerely,
Danae@Believing Unbeliever
http://www.danaefarias.com
This is wonderful! I am going to work on this. We have been trying to get stuff paid off (just got our car paid off) and have a feww more small things on the list. Love your posts and Dave is awesome!!
OOOO I am JUST loving this challenge this week, Toni!! It’s so perfect since my hubster and I are working through TMM right now. We are doing more budgeting tonight, and the budget box excites me to no end – I’m such a dork! I’ll be organizing that tonight too. By the way, I was one of your two Shaklee Orders this week!!! I’m so excited to clean with this stuff – it came SO fast in the mail too:) I’m blogging about it later…check it out if you want. Thanks for the inspiration every week:)
This is really a great idea. I have to start working on a budget and this is a great kick off point. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are amazing. Love your blog.
What a great idea. My husband works in finance, and is all over our bills. If we had something like this, it would help ME so much. Being as he’s been planning for retirement since the age of 16, he is so on top of our finances, but I would just so benefit from this. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve followed you for awhile, but just read your budgeting section. We’re doing Financial Peace right now and I love it. This budget box is something that would really help me to not only stay organized, but have a little fun with this. Can you tell me where you got the little box that is inside the file box? I’m assuming that’s where your pencils, checkbooks, etc. are kept.
Thanks so much for all these wonderful tips!!
Katherine, I found the storage box at Office Depot, it’s made by Innovative Storage Designs and called a hanging storage case. Good luck finding one, I hope this helps! http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/926905/Innovative-Storage-Designs-Hanging-Storage-Case/
What do you do with the “monthly receipts” at the end of each month?