Budgeting Tips for Every Day of the Week
We often approach our week with different milestones and activities to look forward to such as,"It's Tuesday and my favorite TV show is on tonight!". Think to yourself what events you look forward to throughout the week. Is it your favorite pasta dish you share with friends? Is it the next football game on Saturday? Is it time with your grandchildren on Sunday evenings? Whatever comes to your mind, you look forward to it, right? Well, you can have that same mindset for budgeting too! Throughout the week, you can set little (and fun) budgeting goals that you associate with certain days of the week. Here's some budgeting ideas to help get you started:
Monday: Set Your Financial Goal For The Week
Is your goal this week to only buy lunch out one day? Is your goal to only treat yourself to one speciality coffee? Is your goal to cook dinner at home during the weeknights to save some extra cash? Whatever your objective is, write it down on a sticky note and stick it on your fridge. Writing your financial intention down for the week will help you stick to it and stay on track with your budget.
Tuesday: Make Today A "No Spend" Day
This is a fun one - although it may not sound like it at first, challenging yourself to a "no spend" day is a great way to save money! See what fun (and free) activities you can come up with for the day. Maybe you can catch up with a friend and go for hike. Maybe you can go to a free museum with your family. Whatever it is, see what fun things you can do with your time without spending money. Trust us, it's much easier than it sounds and your savings account will thank you for it later.
Wednesday: Save On Groceries
Whether you choose to do your grocery shopping on Wednesday or not, sit down and dedicate time to looking around for the best deals every Wednesday (or whichever day you prefer). Take a look at your grocery list and determine which store near you will have your items at the lowest cost. Even if you have to go to different grocery stores to save some extra cash and stay on budget, do it!
Thursday: Build Your Savings
Pick an amount of money that you want to save every week. Maybe it's $10. Maybe it's $100. Maybe it's $200. Whatever the amount is, make sure every Thursday you put that set amount of money into your chosen savings account. Building this habit of making your savings automatic will help you become a saving professional in no time.
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Friday: Pay Yourself First
If you usually get paid on Friday, then make sure every Friday you pay yourself first! Now, if you get paid on Wednesdays, then pay yourself first on Wednesdays. You get the drill, right? A good rule of thumb is to have 20% of your takehome pay automatically taken out of your paycheck and put into your desired savings account. This way, you'll never be tempted to spend that money and it can immediately start earning dividends - so it's a win-win!
Saturday: Look Out For Good Deals
If you are someone who enjoys to do a little retail therapy on the weekend, then make sure when Saturday rolls around you prioritize finding the best deals. Look for coupons and discount codes to make sure you are getting the best price before you go shopping. You'll be thankful that you shopped around first for the best deals and took advantage of easy ways to stick to your budget.
Sunday: Analyze Your Spending
As you are about to begin a new week, take time to look over your spending from the week before. Do you see anywhere you could have improved? Could you have made different choices that would have aligned better with your budgeting goals? If you see any areas of improvement, make note of them so that moving into the next week you can make the best monetary choices for you!
How Our EverFi Modules Can Help You
There are many benefits to having a budget. Knowing where your money is going can provide a sense of empowerment and help you to achieve your financial goals. Learn more about how to create a budget in our EverFi Module.