However, what I think you should take my advice on when it comes to organizing your finances. I've tried many ways to organize myself in terms of money in the past but I finally found a way that really works for me.
Most recently, I tried having a budget journal, using a May Designs notebook and then a few inserts in my Louis Vuitton PM Agenda. I got bored of both of those and switched over to only digital organization.
I have a lot of credit card bills and two student loans, so I pay a lot of bills on a monthly basis. I also have a lot of monthly bills for subscription services that are on autopay so I needed a way to remember the dates the money gets taken out of my account.
I was so disorganized at one point that I was getting overdrafted on a weekly basis. I think I finally got most of my finances worked out.
Forget the apps, forget the planners -- I have found my way.
How I Organized
I made an Excel sheet that shows the current balance on all my credit cards, the date that the bill is due, and how much I will pay this month.
That way, I can see the total amount of bills I'm paying this month and how much money I have left over.
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| I live at home but do pay a little 'rent' to my mom monthly I also put all my balances at $0.00 for privacy reasons :) |
In this document, I also have my monthly auto-pays but I will show you how I took it one step further with these expenses.
I update this document about twice a month, whenever I get paid, so I know exactly what needs to happen to stay on top of my bills.
It's that simple... no crazy spreadsheets or formulas or anything spectactular. It's one sheet, a few columns, and a broad overview while still being as detailed as I need.
One thing I do recommend is putting your excel document into Google Sheets so you can update in real time on your phone, or another computer. Sometimes I would need to make an adjustment and if I waited until I went home to edit it on my computer, I would forget and it just threw me off.
Having it in Google Sheets the past few weeks has been really helpful.
My Auto-Pay Bills
A few weeks ago, I noticed that I had so many auto-pay bills for various subscription services, I couldn't keep track of everything. I've tried to write these dates and amounts down, monthly, in my planner but it just wasn't working out.
Then I had the idea to create a little document with all the information on it so that I can print it out, laminate, and keep in my wallet. That way, I was able to reference dates and amounts whenever I wanted.
It has proven to be a lifesaver and a real game changer.
I hope this was helpful and let me know if you have any better ways to figure out and manage your finances!
xoxo
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