We don't have a set budget either, my dh would never stick to it. However we normally spend the same amount on things each month. Our bills are paid, money is saved and money is spent without fail each month LOL But I don't say I have $200 for groceries this week and can't go over. Some weeks I might spend way less and other weeks when I've hit a good meat sale and am stocking up on diapers, etc I might spend way more. It all equals out in the end!

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

We don't have a budget. We just don't buy anything that isn't a complete necessity.

We have a budget, and have had one for nearly 2 years now. But we don't always stay within it. We have a nice cushion in our checking, so when we stay within our budget it grows, and when we don't it shrinks! :-)

No, we don't. I keep track of our credit card charges on a spreadsheet and that helps rein in our spending. However, creating a budget is always on my to-do list because I think it would help us save more $$.

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The higher the hair, the closer to heaven.

kind of. I know how much we have taken out each month for car insurance, rent, etc. the rest, we just do what we wish with. there are months where i spend more on groceries and we do less other stuff, but there are times when i find really good deals and we have more money to go out, do things (zoo, park, eating out, etc). so, i guess a little of both.

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Yes and No. Yes in that I know how much money is coming out each month for bills and necessities... No in that it is not all written down/out. DH and I cannot get on the same page when it comes to a concrete budget so we don't have an official one. But since money is always tight and I really want to try to pay down my credit cards, I have to know basically what our budget/spending plan is. And since I do our finances and DH doesn't my way goes...LOL...

I JUST started doing one this month because my husband HAS to see the numbers. (He is an accountant!!) Because of my control issues I have always done the bills in our nearly 13 years of marriage and I must admit to spending more than we make many months. (Hence the large credit card balances now!!)

What I am trying to do is pay down the debt, purchase all of our needs, save some for future expenses, throw in some fun things each month, add to our retirement and college funds, and then build up a larger reserve.

We rarely paid bills late (when we did it was from laziness more than anything else) and always carried way to large a balance in our checking account compared to the amount of debt we had on credit cards. I am making the adjustments now.

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Grace

Wife to Stoney

Mommy of Sarah (8.5), Hannah (7), and John(5)