How do you do your finances?

[Sean Aaron]

I have a flat file that I keep a monthly budget in with a total outgoing at the top and my monthly salary (we get paid once a month over here for salaried jobs). If I've got a game/book/DVD pre-order it goes in as an item, so there are as few surprises as possible.

I use a freeware chequebook programme to track actual expenditures and check for new transactions daily. I save receipts from debit card purchases until they show up in my online bank transactions.

It's worked pretty well. My wife and I have separate current accounts, so we don't suprise each other either!

 

[WillsBabe]

My incomings and outgoings are pretty much the same every month, but even so I still do the same calculations regarding savings and bills each month. I'm lucky that I have a nice disposable income after bills and savings but I still aim to save as much as possible of the disposable income. At the moment I'm into worrying about savings rates, and shopping around.

 

[trekkerguy]

Hope to *insert random higher power here* that I have at least enough
to cover my bills each month with a little left over to pick up some Dew.

 

[T'Baio]

How I do her is none of your business.

No...wait.

 

[FordSVT]

I let my husband take care of it.

As you should, Woman!

But seriously, my wife takes care of ours.

 

[FPAlpha]

I have a simple excel-File where i put in my monthly standard expenses.. rent, electricity, communications (mobile phone, landline, Internet), credit payments etc.

Then i put in what i get each month (varies slightly with bonus payments) and i have what i can spend each month on food, entertainment etc.

Pretty simple yet effective.

 

[Holdfast]

I don't really budget consciously.

I just have a rough mental picture of how rapidly I've been spending at any given time. If I've had a week or two where I've really splurged, I'll tone things down for a week or two to balance things out. It plays out fine in the end. My rate of spending evens out to a sensible average.

Actually, I operate in exactly the same way when it comes to my diet - a day or two of heavy eating following by a day or two of relative moderation. This sort of "mental accounting" keeps both waistline and bank balance relatively healthy without being too neurotic or restrictive.

It helps that I have no dependents and don't pool my finances with anyone, so my affairs are easy to manage and keep straight, mentally speaking.