By Timothy Kelheart

Does the word budget make you cringe or does it make you happy? For me, I am one of those people who felt confined when I heard the word budget.  Last year, I did not budget anything. I would always wonder how I wound up hardly making anything after my expenses were paid off. This year, I decided to finally break that habit and create my own personal budget for expenses. It honestly has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made!

With a budget in mind, I am able to do fun things with friends and family with my allotted entertainment section, pay off all my bills and still have enough money set aside to grow interest in my bank account. If you struggle with finances try looking at some of the example templates that Microsoft Excel already has programmed in their system. I based my budget off of what they had there already and I customized one to my personal finances. The best part is if you download the Excel app on your phone and you have your budget on the app you can easily update your expenses instead of waiting till you arrive home where you might have already forgotten what you spent.

In the end, a budget has proven to work for me with only using one for half of this year. I already know I will have enough set aside for the holidays at the end of the year and will not be scrambling to find money to pay for everything. One day when it’s rainy, why not use that time indoors to set yourself up for financial security with a budget? It will prove to be good for your overall wellness and give you piece of mind.