[Re-Plug] Adult Things That Some Adults Don’t Do

I used to be good with money. Then I lost my job (twice in 12 months), got into massive debt, fell into depression, and stopped caring how much money I spent. In the past six months, I’ve realized I need some extra assistance with how to budget. Despite what my pride told me, budgeting was no longer an intuitive action for me. The overdrafts, unpaid debts, and lack of disposable income told me that.

I searched for a budget tracking app and found the one in the screenshot, called Spending Tracker. It’s the checkbook registry for the smartphone age. Keeping track of everything that goes in and out of your account, whether you use an app or a physical log, is good common budgeting sense. I grew up with a mom who was diligent about her money balancing, yet I strayed from it during hard times (because I was purposely not paying my obligations so I didn’t need an app to tell me that).

Budgeting is one of those adult things that some of us weren’t really taught and others of us never got the hang of, but let me tell you, it’s easy to learn. All it takes is the discipline to enter every transaction. With a little self-determination and minimal effort to update the app, you can see your running balance and not have to worry about pending transactions that haven’t posted. It’s helped me become more aware of what I’m spending, too. In conjunction with planning for future bills, I’m able to look at this and know when to be more frugal, and when I have a little extra.

I also get to look back on previous months and see where the bulk of my money is going, which in turn, allows me to come up with better strategies for grocery spending and eating out (or lack thereof).

A little organization goes a long way. And in this case, keeping my money organized has impacted my financial standing and made me feel like a lot more successful adult. 🙂