Budgeting Tips For a Simple Life

Sharing my best budgeting tips for a simple life, along with my story of how I simplified my life and quit the rat race.

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In the quest to live a simpler life, you may find it somewhat of a difficult pursuit. This is likely because so many of us are under some form of financial restraint. Others just don’t know where to start. Well, the thing is, all you have to do is that.

Start.

Start right now in this moment. You can start by simply appreciating the things you have around you. The small joys in your day. Your morning cup of coffee, the sound of the birds in the morning, or your comfortable bed to sleep in at night.

To live a simple life, is to live a life that is stripped away from the chaos of modern living. In a sense, it is a refocus of our intentions.

I think we have this misconception that in order to live a simple life, we need to throw it all away and start over. The cars, the house, the job and lead a life that is slower, basic in many ways and one where we need to free ourselves from city life. But the thing is, you can live just as simply in the city as you can in the outskirts of it.

My Story

At this point, you may be wondering if this the case, then where does a budget factor in? Well, a budget can be quite useful when simplifying your life. Take me for example. I was a real estate agent who felt handcuffed to her phone for much of the day into the evening. In a solely commission based career, you often feel that every client could be your last for a while. So you do whatever you have to do to make each deal work.

But one day something occurred to me, tired of the running around I sat with a thought about the money coming in. Lump sums that we lived off for weeks at a time. I knew I had become accustomed to those lump sums of money and for that began buying whatever it was we wanted. Meals out were a regular thing as were buying new clothing, upgrading my car and getting the very latest cellphone I could.

What was it all for? For me to be swept up in an endless cycle of chasing clients and spending money. As I sat in a weekly sales meeting, I could feel the detachment happening. I was no longer relating to the women around me. As I sat there listening to them recount their success stories of the week and goal setting for the next. Silently cringing in my chair, I knew, I wanted to be home. Caring for it and for my daughter. As I always did. Not here. Not this place.

For me, this began with my budget. Or lack thereof I should say. Ultimately, a simple life for me would mean, I would return to the stay at home mom I had always been. As much as I could. I would work as little as possible and store our money up like a squirrel getting ready for winter. And we would get back to a life that felt more meaningful.

All these years later, here we are, living that same simple sweet life I had imagined all those years ago. This is how I budgeted for a simple life.

​Reasons to Budget

• An essential tool if living off one monthly income or need to make a lump sum last until the end of the month.
• A good idea to track monthly expenses even if you have a lot of money.
• The best thing to do if living on little money or wanting to create financial freedom in the future. 
• One of the best ways to accomplish financial long-term goals.
• Can help pay off student loans, credit card debt faster by planning or add to a savings account by spending less money.

Creating a Budget

In order to create a budget, we need to be extremely honest with ourselves. We can’t sit down and create a wish budget. As in, I wish I could stick to this but can’t and it certainly makes no sense to create a budget that does not include each and every expense you have. These easy tips cover the main categories and will help create a solid budget plan no matter what your personal goals are.

Grab a piece of paper, and let’s begin.

Get Real About Expenses

Write down ALL of your expenses. Everything. Include yearly memberships, insurance for the year, and even your Netflix bill. Absolutely everything. If you are getting your nails done every other week. Make sure to include that as that is a bill when done regularly. Now add it up and on the paper include your income to see how much leftover you have each month. From here draw a line down the center of the paper.

Then write what is absolutely necessary (basic living expenses) and fixed amounts that need to be paid each month. Rent, mortgage, car payment, and cell phone bill. Write another list of things that fluctuate and lastly a list of wants that you are paying for. I speak of wants in this because we often tell ourselves that we need certain things that are not actual needs. Thereby justifying their expense.

Finding unnecessary items is one of the quickest ways to take control of your finances.

It is true that taking a hard look at our spending habits is not an easy thing to do and often it can be ugly. But it is necessary if we want to get better at using our funds. And definitely necessary if you have goals you are trying to reach. Like simplifying your lifestyle.

This can mean working less, getting rid of a side job, or being able to spend more time with our kids. Whatever the reason is for wanting to budget for a simple life, it does take intentionality. It starts with becoming aware of our spending habits and knowing how much money we need every month to live.

In our consumer culture the budgeting process can be eye opening.

A great resource for digging even deeper is Dave Ramsey. I began watching his YouTube videos and after the first few, I found myself questioning every single purchase I ever made. That may sound like a bad thing but honestly, it snapped into shape pretty quickly. So save your hard-earned money and watch Dave when you need to be redirected back to your spending plan.

Fixed Expenses

My second tip is to look at those larger fixed bills. Like your car payments, auto insurance for the year, and rent or mortgage payment. I know logistically not everyone is in a position to move. Yet, in my own experience, it had a big impact on my monthly overall expenses. I moved my daughter and myself an hour away from our first home.

Which led to being able to purchase a home for half the cost of what the homes were going for in that area. You would be amazed at the changes in the location due to the housing prices. But even if you are not in the position to sell or find another rental for a lower monthly house bill. You can trade in your vehicle for a more economical choice. Shop around for more affordable auto insurance or homeowners insurance.

Entertainment

Redefine what entertainment means to you. In this day and age, we are consistently eating out whether that be fast food, on-the-go coffees, or doing the whole sit-down restaurant scene. This often comes in the form of entertainment. Step back into time if you will and recall the days of your childhood.

Now this varies with all of our ages. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents weren’t taking you out to eat several times a week. Or buying you snacks through a drive-through instead of making one at home. I would bet that you weren’t constantly being entertained.

Taken out for outings and whisked away for vacations whenever the mood would strike. I am sure there were many ordinary days. Days spent entertaining yourself while mom washed the laundry. And worked to keep the home going however that looked to your family.

We need to remember this as parents and we need to remember this as adults functioning in this world. We can get caught up in the outings and neglect the true comforts of home. We may even find it a mess that we simply can’t enjoy. Because we haven’t taken the time to cultivate an environment worth being in.

Around The Table

In my videos and on this blog, I try my best to share ways and reasons to create an environment around daily meals.

Dressing up the table, lighting a candle, making a theme-style meal, or playing soft music. These are all things that can add to a beautiful ambiance in your home during mealtime. There is no reason why meals have to be boring or can’t be made special at home. It is the effort we put into these things that will create a difference.

Setting a table outside with a crisp white tablecloth, soft guitar music, and some seafood; sets a tone for an ocean-side meal done in your backyard. It might seem to be a bit extreme at first to take these extra steps. But I promise you when you decide to change your perspective on this.

To start making your everyday meals into an experience. Which certainly doesn’t have to be done to this extent each day. But on those special days when you feel like a meal out but are looking to save money.

You will find yourself enjoying and creating memories around your table at home. You will see that hosting a brunch for friends can be made even more special. And at the same time affordable by hosting it in your home.

Other Budget Friendly Ideas

• Aside from meals, you can make movie nights in the backyard or create a movie atmosphere in the living room. Just by turning off all the lights and pouring snacks into small bowls for everyone to enjoy. Play games around the table.
• Grab library books from the local library for the whole family.
• Have a small garden to tend to as a way to relax and escape.
• Invite friends over for a cocktail hour.
• If you have children, backyard camping or star gazing on a weekend can be quite fun. I love doing picnics in our backyard along with afternoon teas.
• Learn a new skill like sewing or making handmade items for your home. The point of all of these suggestions is to be creative. This will allow you to make those beautiful memories we all enjoy while sticking to a budget.
• Don’t forget to find simple pleasures wherever you can, as they are all around.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of your personal finances, creating a budget for a simple life is a good idea if you feel weighted down by debt, long work hours or stress. Especially if you find your financial obligations are getting in the way of living a more simple life.

Creating a simple budgeting method is where it all started for me and I can tell you from experience, it will almost certainly lead to less stress right out the gate. So create a realistic budget and do your very best to stick to it. Set goals, and remind yourself on a regular basis of why you are doing it. And most of all, remember that you can start today. Create the budget but also make sure to take notice of the areas of your life that are simple and go from there.

Other Articles You May Like…

Simple Living Explained

How To Be Content With Less

3 Key Elements To Creating a Life You Love

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).

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