Update
EEBA is now Goodbudget! Goodbudget has all the great features of EEBA (and more!) in a new and updated interface. Check out our updated article on this topic, and check out the Goodbudget Help Center for the most recent help content.
If you get paid every four weeks, you’ll receive 13 paychecks over the course of the year. The best way to budget for that is with a monthly budgeting period based off one of your paychecks. This will help you keep a consistent budget month to month and will give you a bonus paycheck at the end of the year that you can use to pay down debt, build up your savings, or simply enjoy!
Budget off one paycheck
Start by creating a budget based off one of your regular paychecks. To do this, head to the “Edit Budget” page in EEBA. Here you can create your Envelopes with their budget amounts. As you create your budget, make sure that your total “Budgeted” amount is less than your paycheck.
Crafting a budget that fits into a single paycheck may mean making some tough choices, but stick with it! Resist the temptation to include a portion of your next paycheck into your budget, and you’ll be rewarded with greater peace of mind and a budget that’s flexible enough to deal with the surprises that always come up each month.
Not sure how to start? Check out our blog post on How to Make a Budget.
Record your income as you receive it
As you receive your income, record it! Head to the Add Money / Receive Income page and choose “Keep Unallocated” to store your income. The funds you add will remain Unallocated until your distribute them to an Envelope.
Fill your Envelopes once each month
At the beginning of the month, use the Distribute from Unallocated page to refill your Envelopes. There you’ll be able to choose how much of your Unallocated you want to use, and how you’d like to fill your Envelopes. If you fill your Envelopes the same way each month, try saving your choices as a “remembered refill” that you can use again quickly and easily later.
Enjoy your bonus paycheck!
At the end of the year, you’ll have a whole extra paycheck to use as you like. Enjoy it!
1 thought on “How to budget with a 4-week paycheck?”
I Get paid twice in December the 1st & 29th
I will only have to pay once on the first to cover the bills in December, then I get paid in January 19th 2018 will I have extra cash in December on the 29th