3 ways to repair a broken budget

If you’re new to budgeting, it can be tempting to just look the other way sometimes. If you’re having trouble staying within the parameters of a new budget, here are three helpful tips…

Be honest with yourself: So you’ve planned out a budget in your head. Fantastic. While that sounds great in theory, you’ll probably have to reassess things a few times. Perhaps you didn’t allot enough money in certain areas of your budget. If this is the case, try and find a number that is more realistic so you can still cut back a little bit. Make sure your budget includes some flexible money that you can use wherever it’s needed.

Do whatever it takes: If you have direct deposit at work, figure out how much you want to put aside every month, and have that amount automatically put into your savings account. This will help keep you from spending what needs to be saved. Don’t look at it as babying yourself. If you’re having trouble saving, let your direct deposit help you out.

Sweat the small stuff: A few bucks here, a couple of buck there. You probably aren’t too worried about those tiny purchases that are easy to overlook. You know what else is tiny and easy to overlook? Germs. Similar to the way you probably don’t leave home without hand-sanitizer these days, never leave home without mental protection from those tiny purchases. You’re not stupid. You know they’re going to add up. So when those thoughts enter your head, just say no.