I haven’t had an actual budget written down for a long time; about a year or so. That’s not to say I don’t ‘have’ a budget, it’s just all in my head. I know how much I have to spend on each area of my life, and there’s nothing very complicated involved, as all bills and savings go out of my account at the start of the month so I don’t have to worry about them (or forget them).

So I was kind of surprised the other day, when I was doing some banking and looked through my transaction list to see that my actual spending really doesn’t mirror the budget I have in my head, at all.

I was spending a lot more than I thought on some things, and a lot less on others. So this week I am going to pull all my bank statements out and go through and re-write myself a new budget. There are also a few money housekeeping things I have been putting off for a while now, that I should really get out of the way. I also realised when looking through my statements that I have never received a refund I was due.

It’s always a good idea to tweak your budget every now and then; to account for changes in your finances such as increased income, one-off expenses, or rising outgoings. It’s also important to reassess your spending every now and then, so you can see where your money is going. So I guess I better take some of my own advice! Joy of joys.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon