Living On A Budget
Hey everyone, as you hopefully know, my name is @Lahna and I’m a mod at RO.
So… Money doesn’t grow on trees right? I know, it’s sad but it’s true. For some of us, living with financial restrictions is a reality, theres rent, food, bills, taxes, and a whole lot of other stuff that just needs to be payed. It’s really tough. I’m a student and find it particularly difficult sometimes to make ends meet: I have to work a couple of jobs and still find time to study!
It’s all like:
Ugh…
Anyway, this GR is designed to help you feel less overwhelmed about money, and more confident about it 🙂
and help you get on the right track to save money to help you feel more secure for when all of those bills come in… It will also help you realise that budgeting means restricting certain things so you can spend money on other things..
Confusing?
So can you still have fun money on a budget?
Join us for the Getting real session next Monday the 16th of May from 8pm AEST 🙂
SUMMARY: LIVING ON A BUDGET
Hey everyone!
So today we talked about the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of budgeting. We discussed how you actually DO a budget and some fantastic apps were mentioned by our posters. We talked about what to include (any expected bills or periodical payments, even “fun money”)! Sometimes budgeting can be restricting so it’s important to set aside some money to do little things for yourself including self care things!
@j95 mentioned that he buys one thing for himself a week and @Lahna mentioned she sets aside some money for a massage. It can also be really tricky telling your friends that you can’t afford to do something, and sometimes we can even feel pressured into it. @j95 and @Stealth_ninja mentioned that in this case, honesty is the best option. Just tell ‘em! Rewarding yourself for doing such a wicked job is also important 🙂
We spoke about how to achieve our goals with money, and setting achievable goals. You can do anything if you try (or budget for it)! Anyway, thanks for your contributions. The RO team hope you are a little more confident in the crazy world which is money and budgeting, and that you can feel happy about going out into the world to achieve your financial goals!
6. Sometimes our friends don't understand that we have a limited amount of money and peer pressure can make us feel like we HAVE to spend money, what kinds of strategies could you use to help deal with this? Have you got any experiences you could share?
Well I know some people who just don't have the financial restrictions that I do, and they simply don't understand things like having a restricted income. They often want to do expensive things or just expect me to have spare mone just to blow on things, but I often just have to say that I don't have the money on hand. I think when these people begin having restrictions of their own they will begin to understand.
I just have to remind myself that these are problems that alot of people have and not to feel jealous of people who seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. I truly believe that hard work and persistance really pays off in this world, and helps you become an amazing person! 🙂
The best feeling @j95! Also the budgeting app totally goes green when you are in the positives!! Best feeling
Okay guys, we're winding down now.
Does anyone have any other questions about money or budgeting or GIPHY?
Sorry if it was a bit dry guys!! but thanks for joining us 🙂
@Lahna is going to post the summary really soon but I think we can call it a night!!
Thanks everyone for your input! ❤️
OMG!!! That is so exciting!!! What a lovely way to reward yourself!
@Lahna wrote:
I just have to remind myself that these are problems that alot of people have and not to feel jealous of people who seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. I truly believe that hard work and persistance really pays off in this world, and helps you become an amazing person! 🙂
🙂 😄
That is spot on!! ❤️
Where is everyone!? Did we bore you with our budgeting chat!! I don't blame you!
Last fun question for tonight anyway!!
Sometimes it's nice to reward yourself. Are you budgeting for anything? Do you have any financial goals? And what kind of reward could you plan (that fits in with your budget)?
Sometimes it's nice to reward yourself. Are you budgeting for anything? Do you have any financial goals? And what kind of reward could you plan (that fits in with your budget)?
Well.. I'm pretty excited to say. That I'm going to visit my family in Italy in November! Yep it's gonna be freezing, but I only really have 3 weeks in the year when I can travel 🙂 It's really tough budgeting for this and I have everything on layby which is cool because I'm paying it off as I go along - plus I got really cheap student flights!
Other goals I have include: buying a house (with space for a puppy), getting through my degree (financially), buying a bigger car, eating healthy food on my budget, and just staying healthy and fit (so my gym membership needs to be payed for) 🙂
A few rewards I give myself include:
- A massage once a month (I budget hard for this!)
- Some fun money every week for coffee, and maybe some clothes that I need - and if I don't spend it all in one week I'll save it for the following week
Sometimes it's nice to reward yourself. Are you budgeting for anything? Do you have any financial goals? And what kind of reward could you plan (that fits in with your budget)?
I'm saving for my holiday in August. At the end of each week I buy myself something nice, whether thats a new t-shirt, a cd or even just going to my favourite juice place.
Okay next question!
Feel free to keep posting your gifs 😄
3. Living on a budget can be restricting. What are some challenges that you might face when budgeting?
What are some challenges that you might face when budgeting?
- Following the budget because sometimes things might cost more than we thought (e.g., utilities, groceries).
- Also, you might encounter some unexpected expenses (e.g., car breaking down) or loss in income (e.g., unemployed).
So, it's important to look at your budget on a regular basis and make changes as you go along.
If things become more expensive @ryvb3, how could you adjust your budget?
If things become more expensive @ryvb3, how could you adjust your budget?
@Lahna: This is a good question that I have little experience in!! But I will try 🙂
It depends on what item/category is more expensive. Like if its groceries, maybe you could try shopping at a different place or get a different brand where you could get the same item for cheaper.
It might even be changing or tightening your spending for the future weeks so you only use it for the necessary things.
