Something that I started late last year to keep me on track with my finances is to create a form that allows me to see on a daily basis where my money is going. I initially started doing this weekly, because I was getting paid weekly.  When my position changed, my pay period changed to bi-monthly, so I now have a page on my dashboard on the pay weeks.  I created a form in sticker format that I place on a portion of my dashboard page. It lists my standards bills, those that do not change weekly; and then the variable bills, those that I can change or that change monthly, weekly, etc. Initially, I tried to make a separate page, but this just added bulk to my planner and I didn’t want or need that. So I figured out a way to shrink that page down and then place it on the space that I don’t use on the dashboard page.

I started using this version of the spreadsheet, but I decided to make it larger and changed the set expenses to be reflective of the bi-monthly income change. This gives me a way to see what I’m working with. Having this added to my dashboard layout, does not negate my monthly budget sheets; in fact, it has been more helpful because I can clearly see my expenditures so that I can reconcile my budget more easily.

I can add a printable version of what I’m using if you would like to print it out and use it for your own budgeting purposes. If you use a planner, it is easy to print it on sticker paper and place in your planner. You can place it like I have on my dashboard layout, you can place it on a note page in your budget planner, or even on a note page that you insert into your planner.

I hope that it is helpful to you as it has been helpful to me.

Until next time,