How to budget?

[momlory]

We have been married for 4 years. Ang hirap mag budget until now struggling pa rin kami sa pagbubudget. Marami na kami na try pero this year ang goal sana namin makapagsave kaso wala natitira.

So far this is what we have tried:

1. Withdraw every week ng 2k pagkakasyahin namin every week. Pero madalas kinukulang naman.

2. Savings application sa phone. Lahat ng expense namin vs salary nililista namin by category.
Madalas kami may un accounted. Kasi nakakalimutan yung inputs. Though nakakapaganalyze kami kung saan malaki or maliit ang expense.

3. We will try next month yung envelope method. Balitaan ko kayo.

Any savings technique mga sis?

[Martin Red]

Hi dati, nasu-short ako sa money.  There was a time na kahit barya pambayad sa sinakyan kong tricycle, wala.

I got this diea and this worked for me.

I started a money collection.

Dati, I just set aside new P20 bills para panghulog sa collection pag nagsisimba.  Then I learned from some relatives na ang 2001 edition na P10 coins daw ay pwede tunawin at gawing singsing.  So I also started collecting those P10 coins.  Then nagkaroon ng project ang simbahan na Pondong Pinoy, so I started saving my 25 cents in a small pet bottle of C2.   Now, I've been a commuter at minsan nagta-taxi...so I also saved the not-so-new P20 and P50 bills para lagi akong may pambayad na exact.  My latest collection...P1,000 bills.  I keep them in the secret compartment of my wallet and regard them as emergency money.  Ayokong makikita na maraming bills sa main compartment ng wallet ko.  Dapat around P100 to P200 lang na tig P20 or P50.  Kung may mga P100 or P500 nililipat ko sa secret compartment.

So far naging successful naman.  I've also been planning, for the longest time, to try the envelope method.  Gusto ko makita ng malinaw ang savings ko every day.

I grew up in a family na sobrang magastos kahit parehas na nagwo-work ang parents ko.

I love it when I see that I have money.  However, these days, konti na lang laman ng wallet ko.  Nagpahiram ako sa 3-4 na FB Friends na nagipit and that was since Oct. 2016 pa (more then P15k na ang naipahiram ko).





 

[yannuh]

sis ako ganito kami magbudget ni hubby: i'll add both our salary tapos may expense list kami na nakaindicate how much should we allot kung 15th and 30th tapos from there andun na savings namin. nakaadd na din dun yung bi-monthly allowance namin each. that way nakikita agad namin saan napupunta ang money. i just allot 2k for our bimonthly dinner kasi merong separate expense for grocery alone.  mas malaki savings namin ng 15th kasi every 30th kami nagbabayad ng house rent. parang ganito

Monthly allow - A& B
House Rent
Electricity
Water
Grocery
Food (Dinner)
CC
Internet and Cable
Misc expenses (minsan wala nato)


the rest savings na lahat

[kaythrielle]

Mahirap mag-budget especially if husband and wife have different spending habits. Balewala paglista ng mga expenses (based on experience).

The best way para makapag-save is to automatically deduct a fixed amount or percentage of the salary to a separate savings account. Something na hindi dadaan sa kamay nyo or sa atm account. The rest, pangbayad ng bills and other expenses.

[ayi21]

First few yrs after wedding hirap kami din kami. Hindi kasi kami nagbubudget. Basta gastos lang ng gastos. Hehe. Pero after that what we dis was nagopen kami ng ibat ibang bank accounts para after sweldo magtransfer na lang kami to those accounts. Parang jar method din. Here are ours:
1 - emergency fund
2 - financial freedom accnt (for retirement)
3 - allowance/play
4 - long term savings (dito yung savings namin for example gusto namin magtravel, appliances na gusto bilhin in the future, etc)
5 - Education - dito naman yung funds for our kids education
6 - expenses (eto yung checking accnt)
7 - Give ( dito naman yung pang offer namin sa church, donations & others and yung monthly na binibigay namin sa parents namin)

For other accounts na inopen namin passbook lang w/o atm lang yung kinuha namin para sure na hindi namin madaling mawiwithdraw o magagalaw. Tapos may excel sheet lang din kami with all the details nung lahat ng expenses namin every month para nakatrack pa din kami sa lahat.
 

[Msfi]

You need to understand na sa budgeting,  you need to list down all your income and expenses because  you need to live within your means talaga.  The list will work only if you have the discipline, and  that is to stick to the budget & say no to expenses na hindi naka-budget at hindi naman kailangan na kailangan.

So for starters, I-list ang mga sure income na na-rereceive regularly and religiously like salary and allowances, masisira ang budget mo if include mo ang income tapos di mo naman pala mare-receive. But if ever ma receive mo, pwede yun for savings or extra money. 

If your expenses is more than the income, then you will need to trim it down. Alisin nyo yung pwede nyo i-give up, magtipid sa mga utilities na may control kayo like electricity, water, prepaid loads, sa groceries din at transpo. Basta go through all your expenses at take note kung ano yung titipirin nyo.  You can compare that every month so you'll know your achievements sa pagtitipid. 

And if you need to pay/buy for something na wala sa budget, then you need to check your list kung ano sa budget nyo ang pwede nyo bawasan or i give up to accommodate the unexpected expense. 

At tama si sis kaythrielle, para maka save, deduct this first before kayo mag budget, otherwise hindi kayo makakaipon if you will wait na magka excess sa budget nyo.

[pinkpotato]

i know mga sis. the struggle is real ika nga. i don't really have a budget every month. i pay what is supposed to be paid but as for me, my big struggle is savings. nakaka ipon naman pero i know na mas madami pa maiipon sana if i have self control.

sa amin kasi, my husband is assigned to pay some of our payables, i.e maid salary and levy, then he transfers an amount to me pang bayad for the rest. my big bulk all the  time is the credit card. i used to have 4, imagine kalat ang babayaran ko. i thought of retaining all kasi i used a particular card kung saan may promo. pero nakakapagod din so i gave up two and sa dalawa isa na lang ang usual na nagagamit. the other one is kung ma max out na yun isa. haha. nababayaran naman lahat yan, no issue, tsaka may cash back kasi so the more you use it, the more cash returns. yun lang kasi andaming nagamit, ending by end of month, of course liit na lang natira sayo. when i check the list of expenses, mga walang kwenta naman mga pinamili ko. sayang, sana ipon pa yun.

so that was my first step, let go the extra credit card. nakakatuwa nasi now naamaze ako- by the time im done paying everything in one night, i would ask, bayad na lahat, sure? wow. may sobra pa! saya!

so i think now wala pa din ako certain budget(makulit lang), i just make sure na wag bili ng bili ng kung among mag walang kwentang bagay na mabubuhay naman ako na wala, okay na ako, happy wife na.

[ece]

^I feel you sis about sa credit card. I used to have 4 din. then last year, down to 2 nalang. eh nanganak ako, ayon, max out  yung isa, the other one naman malapit na din. mahirap talaga.

for budgeting naman, what we do now, lahat ng expenses, under my salary, savings, kay hubby naman, pakonti konti, pero sana soon madagdagan. kelangan ko talaga I cut ang credit card usage.

[tischarmedlife]

I now do the envelope technique. I have separate envelopes for the bills, school expenses, allowance and savings.
When I do the grocery, di ko isinasama yung son ko kase mas magastos lang! I also list the things that I need to buy para organized and nasusunod ang budget.
I also list down my everyday expenses para mas aware ako sa gastos ko. Kahit pisong candy ang, kailangan nakalista.

[hedonista]

Hi sis momlory
Thank you for starting this thread. First step is awareness. Hindi ka nag iisa. I can relate.
Kami ni hubby naman we don't own credit cards. He is magastos pero isang bagsak, pag may binili yung mahal talaga and I have a habit na lagi nag reretail therapy sa mall.
Sit down and talk about finances. Keep a log book.
We started the 30 weeks to (amount) every payday we put specific amount of money sa isang separate account. easier if you have online banking. start lang sa 100 and it will go up every week or payday.

I started reading about Minimalist Living.
You may research about it din sis. It helped me budget and stop the unnecessary purchases.

[mysterioza_me]

I tried the envelope system before but it didn't work kasi nasa bahay lang siya kaya may access ako anytime na kailanganin ko or may maisip ako bilhin. What works for me is to set aside my savings agad every payday, basta pagnagreflect na ang salary ko magttransfer na ako agad sa savings account ko. Wala akong atm for my savings account and di rin naka-enroll sa online banking. Passbook lang siya kaya di basta makakawithdraw. May idea na kasi ako kung magkano ang gastos ko per cutoff kaya yun lang iniiwan ko plus extra money just in case na may biglaan na gastos pero madalas di ko na nagagastos ang extra ko. Pag-alam ko kasi na konti lang laman ng atm (payroll) ko di ako gaanong gumagastos except for food.

[shinies]

Nag-meeting kami ni mister tungkol sa pera Naglista ano yung income at ano yung expenses per month tapos meron fixed percentage ng savings.
Yung savings namin nakalagay sa ibang account. Bawal galawin! Yung isang account passbook para di accessible haha

Yung budget sa gastusin, hindi pwede sumobra kahit anong mangyari. Tipid moves. Di namin iniisip na may pera pa sa ibang account. Kung nazero na yung expenses account, antay ng income refill.

Commitment at matinding EQ ang kailangan para maging tagumpay ang pagbubudget.
Siguro sis, try niyo din isipin yung mga emergency what ifs. Kasi yung takot na may mangyari, yun yung isa sa mga dahilan bakit strikto kami sa pagbudget.

Isa pa pala, pag nagkaron ng bonus at increase, kaunti lang nun yung for "fun". Tapos yung iba eh savings/investment na.

Try niyo din mag-aral tungkol sa financial freedom. Madami sila tips paano makatulong sa mga pinansiyal na aspeto ng buhay natin

[super bratinella]

Sa pag budget hubby let me takes care of that pero I still give him update every now and then, we have excel file nakalista lahat ng for payments I make sure to settle in advance as much as possible updated kami sa bills.

I do not have the envelope technique but I have the small filing folder wallet like (I bought from Daiso) na may division, lahat ng bills nandun pag may pay distributed ang pambayad, para pag nadaan ako sa bayad center mas mabilis bayaran or I pay online na rin for some bills na pwede.

We have budget for our family bonding, our kids deserve to go out and dine sa mga restaurants or fast food chains, we have savings for birthday funds, house funds (improvements or repair(, medical (teeth cleaning, eyeglasses), travel savings and etc.

Good thing I get rid of credit cards and bank personal loans, meron akong government loan I want to take advantage the benefit.

Aminado ako na hindi pa ako bihasa sa pag budget that is why sa mga church ladies namin I talk them ask for techniques may mga natutunan ako:

Sa pamamalengke when you put the meat sa fridge, nakakahati hati na sila per menu para mag need to thaw hindi lahat ng karne kasama.

Sa pag titipid ng electricity at water consumption.

[RoadrunnerXCX]

ako naman ziplock technique kasi sa ziplock nakalagay mas long lasting kesa sa envelope tapos naka permanent marker ang labeling. electric, water, pldt, loans, etc.... i like it kasi transparent kita ko agad  ang billing statement saka yung money na allotted sa bawat isa.


madami kami payables right now kasi ang tagal ni hubby nabakante. pero even before pa nag cost cutting na ako. like pinatanggal ko na cable ko at nag tv plus na lang kami para wala ng monthly. hindi naman kami palanood news lang kadalasan... may laptop naman if we want to watch cartoons o  movies kasi nka dsl naman. kapag may maid ako sya na pinapag carwash ko ng sasakyan hindi na ako nagpapa carwash. pero now wala kaming maid.  naka prepaid lahat celfones namin at never kami nag sign up sa kahit anong postpaid plans. if i want to buy something i sell the old ones then add na lang cash for a bnew purchase like celfones, home appliances etc....minimalist din kasi ako sa bahay...ayoko ng maraming gamit. since i am a sahm i do my grocery shopping sa small grocery lang kasi mas cheaper saka necessities lang talaga ang available. mahirap mag budget pero i keep on trying lalo na ngayon i have 4 kids all of school age na. tipid tipid talaga kung san pwede. once a week we eat out after mass pra iyon na lang bonding namin. i agree fixed lahat ng loan payables makapag aadjust ka lang sa utilities and food consumption at home.

[aquacharly]

The strategy for successful budgeting is:  SIMPLIFY.

Cut back on all that is Unnecessary,
Cut back on frills of The Necessary.
Keep everything Simple.
Be more creative and mindful so Little Expenses do not sabotage you.
Little Savings add up. 
Develop more skills/expertise to be able to level up in the job market/entrepreneurial field.

If you can commit to the above, any budgeting tactic/method will work. 

May wagi sa tiaga (something like that, per my Lola). 

[momlory]

Mukang ok ang envelope method. Mas namomonitor namin ang pag bubudget.
bumili kami ng plastic envelop na may divider sa japan 88

ito lahat nakalagay na total amount per sweldo na pagkakasyahin namin and agreed to spend:

fix monthly expense:
condo
car
house


variable expense:
1.daily allowance hubby
2.daily allowance ko
3.daily food  allowance
4. Grocery
5. Bills -meralco, water, assoc, mobile phone namin
6. car expense- gas, parking, toll etc
7. Miscellaneous
8. Savings

bale yung meron kami listhan kung magkano total allotment sa variable expense for each category plus cash per envelope.

May listahan kami ng savings at miscellanous. Anything under miscellaneous ililista at kukunin sa savings.

Since ayaw namin mabawasan savings namin. pag may miscellaneous ako kunwari sa allowance ko nalang kukunin. Si hubby ganun din ginagawa.

So far may ipon na kami less 2 weeks nalang at may sweldo na rin keep the faith wag mabawasan ang savings namin 

[patchiislove]

Kami naman ni hubby, envelope method at yun sample link below ng budget worksheet na excel ang naging effective sa amin.

https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/simple-budget-worksheet.html

Nun una, hirap din kami magbudget pero nun nag simula kami magbawas ng mga gastusin, ayun naging Ok din. Need lang talaga ng discipline sa sarili at maging masinop. Mahirap sa simula, pero kapag naging routine mo na at na handle ng maayos magiging ok din ang budgeting. Tipid at Tiis mode talaga, para makaipon para sa future... 

[pinkpotato]

oh another thing. I don't withdraw cash. as much as possible.

so I have the creditcard for cashback/rebates, also, here, we do NETS, cashless transaction. pag cash kasi promise, parang bula, before you know it ubos na.

kaya malulungkot ang magho-hold up saken, wala talaga akong cash laging dala. conscious effort.

[ishopnowfeelguiltylater]

what worked for us was ako na lang humawak lahat ng money namin. di talaga umubra na magkanya kanya kami kasi mahilig gumastos si mister at parang ayaw niyang may natitirang pera sa bangko. pros and cons ng ganitong setup:
pros:
- i have the power haha syempre lahat ng expenses ako magdedecide if go or no
- nakukunsensya din ako gumastos ng para sakin kasi nga pera NAMIN yun
- nagkaron na kami ng shared goals kasi shared na din ang assets parang mas may power na ang pera namin nung nagjoin forces

cons:
- di makabili ng gift si mister para sakin
- ako ang nagbabudget, tagawithdraw, tagapagbarya na minsan nakakapagod din

also, some lessons learned:
- may phase na kahit anong pilit, di talaga makapagsave. obvious kailangan namin ng extra income para makapagenjoy naman ng onti. kaya sumideline ako.
- kailangan big purchases pag agreehan ninyong dalawa. ilang araw muna kami nagdidiskusyon talaga. it helped our relationship grow.
- naiba spending habits nung nagkaanak kami. mas naging simple, praktikal without effort. hehe

[lovemeagain30]

I think everyone heard about SALARY - SAVINGS = EXPENSES. This one works if you are really committed! take note, wala yan sa laki ng kinikita.

Our family is following MInimalist Living. We lived with the basics. We eliminated all forms of temptations that will ruin our goal for financial freedom like we removed all credit cards, fashion and travel magazines at home, deactivated socmeds and we removed even the cable subscription! we also seldom goes to malls. kasi lahat yan makes you think of 'wants' more than needs.  hindi ka pa sumasahod iniisip mo na kung anong bibilhin mo, san ka kakain.  mabuti pa sila or mabuti pa si ganito.. keeping up with the Joneses lifestyle! tapos ending palagi ay bibili ako or lalameryda kasi "gift" ko sa sarili ko and so on and so forth.. pero hindi ba ang pinaka magandang regalo sa sarili ay yung nakakaipon ka? kasi this will give you a 'peace of mind'. walang kasiguraduhan ang buhay kasama na duon ang pera at trabaho.

another technique that works for my famiily other than living a minimalist lifestyle is envelope system.  this works also kung committed ka talaga. live within your means talaga. alisin ang wants and focus on the needs.  wag maging maluho. wag makipag kumpentensya sa buhay ng iba.  walang masama sa konting splurges sa sarili but if these splurges affects your budgeting then its time to limit it or better stop it.  example nalang kung panay kain sa labas (as gift niyo sa sarili niyo for working hard) pero sa bahay di niyo lam kung anong tipid ulam ang gagawin, abay eh itiginil na yang bisyong yan.