Hi there! Welcome to another day of Budget Bootcamp. Today’s homework might take a little bit longer than some of the days so far, but it’s a partner assignment that’s worth the time.
At Goodbudget, we love to break the taboo of talking about money. Talking with people we trust about budgeting helps us stay accountable to the goals we set. And it can also deepen our relationships, especially if we’re working towards the same goals.
We asked Lisa if she involved others when she was creating her first budget, and here’s what she said:
“My husband and I talked about [our budget] together. My sisters and I talked about it [too] and often compared notes. We’d say things like: ‘How are you doing on your food budget? I just don’t think this amount is realistic. How are you making yours work?’”
We bet that those conversations with her husband and sisters encouraged her, motivated her, and gave her helpful perspective!
Today’s Assignment
- If you’re budgeting solo, think about who you’d like to have partner with you on this budgeting journey, and then ask them if they’re willing to be a listening ear for you. Give them a call or have coffee together! Brief them on what you’ve done so far and how they can help you succeed with your budget. Maybe they’ll even join you too!
- If you’re budgeting as a couple, your significant other is your teammate. When budgeting as a team, it’s helpful to talk about expectations early on. What kind of spending requires first consulting each other? What kind of spending is okay without that step? Will you each have your own Envelopes for things like Fun? Or will it all be shared? Talking through things like these now will save you from headaches later on.
- How did these conversations go? What did you talk about? Were you nervous? Excited? Tell the community in the comments below.
Happy budgeting,
-The Goodbudget Team
125 thoughts on “Break the Taboo”
Budgeting solo but discussing with my son who still is living at home. He starts working (again) on Tuesday so he’ll begin contributing to the household expenses soon. I figured he should be aware of the real cost of living here so that once this house is afloat again he can plan for moving out and know his real month to month expenses.
They went well. We are dividing and conquering.
I already had this conversation with my wife when we started budgeting using Excel and it was hard for me very humbling, but we are now on the same page and on the right track, looking for more tools to be successful
My husband and I are excited about this and being able to share it.
My Wife and I face having to be tighter with our budgets. When it comes to it, she is a very resourceful lady, so I’m glad we are sharing the challenge.
I get very nervous talking about money and the idea of bringing my boyfriend or anyone else in on my issues scares me terribly
I asked my older brother who has always wanted to help me budget my money.
I talked with my business partner. She was helpful in talking though my financial goals and whether my spending was supporting those goals.
I think it’s important to speak up as someone who is absolutely budgeting solo with no one to be held accountable with or to. While it is beneficial to have somebody else to help you be accountable, this is doable solo. So this lesson was really irrelevant for me.
Prior to starting this I talked to my mother. She knows that things are tight for me. She has been helping me curb my impulse buying & challenging my not to purchase one of my big weakness’ with a reward for it buying them. It is & was hard to talk to her . I haven’t been able to ask for more. I’m still working on telling her all because I don’t want to have her feel that she didn’t bring me up right.
Glad to know I’m not alone. I am a solo budgeteer, so it’s up to me to learn from my mistakes. Not an issue though, my cat is a good listener!
My boyfriend and I got a joint checking account earlier this year because it’s easier to pay bills that way. We both can log in and see how much money is being spent, which keeps us semi-accountable (both need to tighten up our spending). We will be sharing the GoodBudget app too so that will really help us stay aligned on our spending and saving goals. We are on the same page as far as how our budget SHOULD go, we just need to actually stick to it now. I think once we start seeing results and how much money we can save to start paying off debt, we will be more and more motivated to stick to the budget.
I have asked my adult daughter. We haven’t talked yet, but are scheduling it in sometime in the upcoming week.
I believe the biggest habit is eating out for lunch for the most part. But also what ruins my budget would be bad moment emergencies where I have a good savings built up but something pops up and then has to get used.
My daughter-in-law uses goodbudget and is a great teacher and sounding board.
Being recently widowed I will need to find a new budget buddy. I have spoken about money and finances with my mom in the past, but for now I will be doing this journey solo.