3 Ways to enjoy your Lifestyle while on a Budget
Have you felt like living on a budget is no fun? Well it doesn’t have to be that way. I remember when I first started budgeting, at the time I was not doing an everydollar budget, I was writing out the income and expenses. It felt like there was hardly more money coming in than going out. I was in my early 20’s and I wanted to have FUN! That meant I had to get creative with what fun looked like because the paychecks weren't looking very impressive. So if you are like me and you want to have fun and enjoy your life while on a budget here are my tips.
live within your means
Yes, my first tip is to actually budget and stick to it. If you do this you will be surprised at how much extra money you can find or set aside for fun. Spending on fun can be stressful that is where buyers remorse comes in or the panic when you go to pay. Let those feelings go by preparing to spend and taking control of your money. You just have to create a category that is labeled FUN, Vacation, or spending $. You can label the categories in your budget whatever you want. You are in charge of the budget. You decide how much money goes where. When you budget for the fun you want to have, it takes the stress out of it. When you live within your means you are not spending above what you earn and you are not paying with credit. You are planning for life each month and adjusting for the expenses that come up. Plan the fun you want to have and adjust your budget to pay for them.
pay cash for vacations
I have paid cash for vacations in multiple ways in the past. #1 Set up sinking funds to save for the vacations you want to take. A sinking fund is a savings account that you sink money into each month to reach a target goal. So if I want to take a vacation 6 months from now and I know that the trip will cost me $2000 I divide that total between 6 months. That means I will be saving about $334 each month in my sinking fund. Then when I go on my trip all expenses are paid from that sinking fund account. #2 Pay for everything in advance. When we went to Disney I made cash payments from my debit card to the travel agent and all expenses were paid for by the time I took the trip. This allowed for a stress free vacation where I did not have to think about money. I had a little cash in my wallet for tips at restaurants and souvenirs, but airfare, travel, hotel, food and theme parks were all paid for ahead of time. #3 prepaid gift cards. This was an idea a friend gave me when preparing for Disney. She told me throughout the year as she has extra money she buys Disney gift cards because she goes to Disney every year. Then when she is ready to go she has a bunch of money saved on gift cards that she can only use at Disney, so her trip and expenses are paid for. I did not do this, but it works for her. My daughter did get Disney gift cards for presents from family so she was able to spend those on things she wanted while we were there. This tip could work for other places you go or if you got a non specific prepaid card and labeled it for what you want to use it on. Think of your vacation food budget. If you purchased gift cards to a few of your favorite places to eat while on vacation, but you knew what you had to spend because you only had so much on the gift card, its like a forced way to stay on budget while on vacation and still get to enjoy your favorite spots to go.
enjoy free stuff
I think this can be so overlooked! The community I live in has something going on all year long (& I live in Northwestern Minnesota) There are tons of things to do for free. You just have to decide if the free stuff is what you enjoy. I live near multiple wildlife refuges where you can go to the visitors center and see, touch and hear things for free as well as enjoy hiking, biking, picnics, geocaching and bird watching. There are many lakes, parks, trails, Frisbee golf courses, outside art exhibits and art experiences. We have free music and Shakespeare in the park in summer. Some places do outdoor movies in the park. Our town has multiple scavenger hunts and new ones pop up and down throughout the year while some are semi-permanent. County fairs often have free exhibits, town festivals, and check your chamber of commerce for other events that may be offered. I truly believe that your mindset determines your level of enjoyment. So, I encourage you to go try some of the free stuff offered and figure out what you enjoy without spending money.
If you haven’t written out your first budget I want you to do that now and figure out what type of fun you can plan for in your current lifestyle. Download my budget form here. If you try free activities and you aren’t enjoying yourself I want you to challenge your mindset and really ask yourself why did you not enjoy yourself.
