- Start off by planning a few days ahead. Work to being able to plan a 4 week menu, and rotate the weeks and change it up as seasons change.
- Keep a list of "go to recipes" when you need a meal.
- Make sure your menus are well-balanced nutritionally. Go here for help.
- When going on trips, decide which meals you are going to purchase and which meals/snacks you are going to bring with you.
Showing posts with label Budgeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Budgeting. Show all posts
Tuesday
Planning Meals
Example Budget
To see the image larger, just click on it.
This is an example budget created using Excel. Below I include how to make some simple formulas to make your budget useful.
To make a "total", in the cell type " =sum( " and then select the columns that you want to total by dragging over the cells. You will see the cell names be added to the equation.
To make a "difference", in the cell type "=" and then select the cell and then type "-" and select the second cell you want it to subtract from. In the example below I want the Budget Total $300 to subtract from the Actual Total $284. So I type "=", select the cell that has $300, type "-", select the cell that has $284, and then hit "enter".
After completing the two previous steps, you should now have a number in under the "Difference" column. It will indicate automatically if you have a positive or negative difference. Positive would indicate that you have money to spare in that category. A negative number would indicate that you have overspent in that category. There are different ways to show a negative number, like having the color change.
The example below shows a negative difference in the bottom right column.
This is an example budget created using Excel. Below I include how to make some simple formulas to make your budget useful.
To make a "total", in the cell type " =sum( " and then select the columns that you want to total by dragging over the cells. You will see the cell names be added to the equation.
To make a "difference", in the cell type "=" and then select the cell and then type "-" and select the second cell you want it to subtract from. In the example below I want the Budget Total $300 to subtract from the Actual Total $284. So I type "=", select the cell that has $300, type "-", select the cell that has $284, and then hit "enter".
After completing the two previous steps, you should now have a number in under the "Difference" column. It will indicate automatically if you have a positive or negative difference. Positive would indicate that you have money to spare in that category. A negative number would indicate that you have overspent in that category. There are different ways to show a negative number, like having the color change.The example below shows a negative difference in the bottom right column.
Basic Budgeting
Here are the basics of how-to-budgeting:
1. List all of your expenses. ALL of them. (including any money left over that could go into savings!)
2. Categorize your expenses into general categories. For example: food, gas, entertainment, repairs, rent/mortgage, cell phone, auto, school, medical bills...
3. Put dates next to items that have when payments are due.
4. Don't forget once a year expenses. Like airfare, purchasing a laptop, replacing the timing belt in your car. Take these expenses and divide the cost by 12 and list each month that cost. For example: a new laptop may cost $2,000 after all is said and done (programs, accessories). Divide your $2,000 by 12 and add $167 to each month.
5. Give yourself a budget, or spending max next to each category.
6. Keep track of each time you spend money. This includes every pack of gum, fill up on gas, chapstick purchase. The little purchases do add up.
1. List all of your expenses. ALL of them. (including any money left over that could go into savings!)
2. Categorize your expenses into general categories. For example: food, gas, entertainment, repairs, rent/mortgage, cell phone, auto, school, medical bills...
3. Put dates next to items that have when payments are due.
4. Don't forget once a year expenses. Like airfare, purchasing a laptop, replacing the timing belt in your car. Take these expenses and divide the cost by 12 and list each month that cost. For example: a new laptop may cost $2,000 after all is said and done (programs, accessories). Divide your $2,000 by 12 and add $167 to each month.
5. Give yourself a budget, or spending max next to each category.
6. Keep track of each time you spend money. This includes every pack of gum, fill up on gas, chapstick purchase. The little purchases do add up.
Excel
Now, I don't want to promote any Microsoft programs (heck, I'm Mac), but this program is very beneficial to budgeting. We use it for our personal budget and our debt-eliminator calendar. If you are a visual person, you can make your budget appealing to the eye like I do. But that's not why Excel is so awesome...at all. You can program Excel to automatically update numbers when you change or add a purchase. It's a great way to organize, update, and realize your spending habits.
As a reminder, refer to the First Rule... You do not have to pay for a book on how to learn Excell. You can ask people who know, or go to the library and check it out!
As a reminder, refer to the First Rule... You do not have to pay for a book on how to learn Excell. You can ask people who know, or go to the library and check it out!
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