WHEN IT COMES TO YOU AND MONEY, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
Welcome to Budget with a Why! We’re excited you’re here, and we’re excited to go on this money journey with you.
Over these next five courses, we’ll walk you through creating a budget with purpose. From figuring out what’s important to you, all the way to inspiring you to think of ways you can live out your values. Because budgeting is more than just dollars and cents, and we think you probably agree.
To get you thinking just a bit, check out the mini-assignment below, and let us know where you want to go on your money journey.
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Today’s Mini-Assignment
We sat down with some budgeters, and asked them where they want to go financially. Here’s what they said:
“Up. I’d like to go up, which means having more money. I think of a growth chart, like my kids have at the doctor’s office, and I want to check in and see how it’s doing.” Paul, father of three.
“When I hear that, it sounds like a relationship. I want to go places with money, like literally travel.” Kendall, fabulously child-free.
“I think of ‘enough.’ I don’t want to have to think about it as much, not every day.” Matt, thinking about moving.
“Somewhere free, not like I don’t have to pay, but like a feeling of freedom. Thinking about being debt-free, that’s where I want to go.” Karisa, paying off student loans
Okay, now your turn! When it comes to you and money, where do you want to go? Let us know in the comments below!
Happy budgeting,
-The Goodbudget Team
216 thoughts on “Welcome to Goodbudget 201: Budget with a Why”
For me, budgeting is a tool to help me make sure I’m where I want to be. With 4 sons who are involved in multiple activities, it is a busy time of life for my wife and me. I like to use the budget to make sure we know where are money is going and to make sure we are allocating our funds according to what is most important to us. I want to be able to look at the budget on a monthly basis or yearly basis and evaluate what we could be doing better and then make changes based off of our goals. Ultimately, I want to use the budget for how we want to live in retirement. I want to get to retirement and accurately project how much money we will need to live off of when we arrive at that point.
On my (our) money journey I’d like us to be moving toward financial freedom to choose when my husband retires. We are in the thick of things currently, paying on 4 children’s student loans while simultaneously trying to put some away for the future.
I’m starting over the second half of my life. I’d like to get rid of debt and get myself a good plan for retirement. It would be good to have enough money to cover any medical expenses and also get to do many fun things. I worry for your retirement would be the best thing.
I would like to be debt free!! So that we can finally save for some family holidays!
We want to pay off debt and save a down payment for a nicer home. We may decide to stay in our current home and renovate. Either way, we want to have enough cash to improve our living situation. Plus, the stress of debt is really weighing on me.
I would like to pay my debts.
I would like to pay down my credit card, save for a trip and save a little money as well. My goal is to get my unnecessary spending under control.
I would to pay off all of me debts
Looking to build a better foundation of savings while working towards being completely debt-free. I want my money to take me towards financial freedom that comes without the worry and stress of being in debt.
The goal is to be financially free with no debt, beginning with staying on top of bills and allocating properly. This requires following our budget, good choices, and commitment.
Goal: be debt free, follow a budget, make better choices.
trying to avoid bouncing so many things because I don’t have enough to pay for the bills I have. My goal is to start paying ahead again and get my money back under control. Get some money in savings that can stay in savings and be able to start treating the kids and doing fun things than staying home all of the time.
My goal is to have financial freedom. I’m getting older and I don’t want to have to worry when it comes time for retirement. I need to learn how to spend my money more wisely while still being able to be giving to my Christian partnerships or where God calls me to be giving.
Our goal is to be debt free. Have our home paid off so we can retire and have enough income to take vacations to visit family. Go on a mission for our church.
Save for a sewing machine and plan for retirement
I would like to save money for emergency my goal is to be able to pay cash instead of using credit cards and travel.
I really want to feel like I’m not drowning all the time. I wanna get to a place where I have more control. I wanna be able to pay bills and save. I want to live!
I want to save money and plan for my future. To be able to buy a house and a car.
Tired of the stress of barely making it. Working Three jobs is miserable…just need a way to figure out how to make what I have work better.
I want to save money and secure my future as well as my kids.
My wife and I are frustrated that we are burning through our savings. We know why it’s happening, but we’re not sure how to make it stop without making a drastic change to our life. We live fairly simply, but we have 3 kids, student loans, etc. We want to be able to treat ourselves to a nice vacation once a year, and to provide a good life for the kids. We need help making good decisions with our spending and to determine where we can tighten things up.
I would like to be debt free and have unallocated incidental savings for those unforseen circumstances that pop up. I want to clean up my credit and live within my means.
On my money journey, I want to be able to do whatever I want to without having to worry about having enough money to pay the bills, including making donations to good causes, help my family when they need it, help other single Mothers.
I’m working on Dave Ramsey’s baby step 3, so trying to budget better so I can save that 3-6 month emergency fund before paying off the (small) mortgage I still have left. I’ve been budgeting since baby step 1, when I was in debt and didn’t have any savings at all. It’s working, but I’ve returned to GB as it’s better for me than the alternatives such as YNAB. The envelope system really works.
Debt Free!
Learning how to manage my earnings.
Just about to retire, planning to enjoy ourselves but won’t go mad. Like the envelopes idea, so looking forward to managing my budget.
I would like to be able to have enough money left after I paid my bills for the “what if” happenings.
I would like to be debt free and also make enough money to pay my bills. My goal is i would like to take my family to Disneyland.
I don’t have a lot of income, so what I do have needs to work for me. I’ve never budgeted before, so I have a lot to learn.
To intentionally and honestly allocate my money and be debt free
Not constantly struggle to make ends meet.
I want to see the world, and I want to provide a better life for my grandchildren. I want to be balanced. Financially, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.
For me, where I want to be is 30 years ago with the same desire to make the decision I am making now. Which is remembering my future self being ask this same question and all that comes is ‘SECURITY’. And to remember just how foolish I feel because all I can think, “why did I not start earlier?” Although it’s super smart thinking, at 50 it seems more too late. Yet, late does not exist now. peace, prosperity, love.
I need to pay off debt- credit card and medical- so I can stop stressing at the end of every month about how I am going to pay the last of the bills.
I would like to pay off all my debts, stop living from paycheck to paycheck, free up money to help others in need and of course, prepare for retirement.
My financials goals are to payoff my mortgage in the next 3 year and prepare for my retirement (which is not too far in the future). Overall, I need to make better spending decisions. I know I waste a lot of money on impulse purchases. Learning to control bad spending habits will help me to achieve my biggest financial goals.
I would love to just be able to look away while pumping gas! Or be able to get a snack at the gas station when my kids want one! Just to be stable would be amazing! We were barely ready for one kid and God had other plans and blessed us with another… now we are on the struggle bus! God always finds a way… just want to jump start on the budget!
Id really like to have some savings in the bank! I want to buy a house and my plan is to save enough for a down payment! Time to get spending under control!
We’ve done the hard yards on one income raising 5 kids. We have one left at home and we are making more money than we ever have but seem to be frittering it away. Yes, we’re eating out more and holidaying, having a blast, but feeling irresponsible and would like to track our money systematically. What do we have and where is it going.
I want to get out of debt. So I can travel. Buy a house. Enjoy my granddaughter’s!
I just want to be able to have money in the bank to travel, build/purchase a small home and retire comfortably. I want peace of mind that I’ll be ok in the event of an emergency.
I am retired and loving my life. We have enough income to intentionally plan in our retirement years and would like to track our goals with a better budgeting system. I use Excel to budget and track spending.
I am retired and want to live intentionally in my retirement years and set up some travel goals that are fully funded.
I want to stop living paycheck to paycheck and start saving money. My husband and I just went through a bankruptcy due to some life situations that we could not change, but we ask make poor financial decisions. We need to grow up and start working towards a better future for ourselves and our children.
To be debt free and financially independent
I want to pay off my debt and have money to run 1, 5k, and 1/2 marathons and marathonraces through the country and the nation.
Right now my husband is on pension and social security income which helps make ends meet and a little extra to buy essentials for us yet no vacations or visits to other places, and no races unless I make extra and put it away to pay runs via my own credit card. I don’t want to keep my credit card a secret yet I know he’ll hit the roof if I say I have debt! I have to have a full time job or make more income with part time jobs. I don’t want to let him know I have debt much less that I’m socking it away for our mutual account.
For me, I want more financial freedom. I do not want to continue to live paycheck to paycheck. I want to be able to go and do things with my family without having to worry about the next bill.
I don’t want to have to worry about where every penny goes. I want to be sure that we have a sufficiently funded “emergency” account. I’m tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I’d love to be in a place where I can support my family and not have to worry about “if we get this than we can’t get that” all the time.
I want to work effectively with my bank loans. I do not want to increase them. I want to systematically reduce them.
At the same time, I want to calmly spend money on everyday needs, that is, to plan so that they are enough.
On this journey, I want to turn bank loans from my enemies into my friends and helpers.
I want to control my money and improve our spending habits and pass on to my next generation so they don’t spend time on finding out how to spend. I started to implement old envelope way 1 year ago and tracked my spending in excel. BUt after 5 months it didn’t work as it was taking more time to fill up envelopes. I think this software definitely would help me. ( father of 1 kid, 28 years old )
I have never used a budget or thought about using a budget for my family of 6 until I realized that my spending was out of control and my debt was out of control! It kind of scared me that I let it get this out of control. So my goal is to examine my wants verses needs and start paying off debt, spending within my means, and saving!
As an artist, I want to be able to manage two different budgets. Right now it’s a mess, I don’t know where I’m going. I want to plan for my business expenses without having to “borrow” money from my personal account. I don’t have any debts, but I don’t have any savings either because I invest too much in my studio. I just want balance and clarity.