Budget Bootcamp Week Eight: Review and Reflect

Eight weeks. Fifty six days. Fifty five participants. My heart is full. My goal when starting this project was to share with you what I've learned about budgeting through trial and error. I have had many friends and close family members ask me questions from time to time about how I do our budgeting. Until this series, I had always felt as though my way of answering their questions often made things complicated or left out crucial information. I didn't have a rhyme or reason as to how I shared what has worked so well for us.

As we wrap up this eight week series, reviewing the key concepts we covered seems appropriate. After all, this isn't the end of your budgeting adventure. Rather, its the time for you to spread your wings, take the reigns and be in control of your financial future like never before. Here are a few key takeaways I hope you all have found useful.

1. Creating a budget is half the battle. Sticking to it is the other. 
2. The more specific your budget categories, the more accurate your assessment will be.
3. Write it down. Whether you prefer digital or handwritten, it has to actually be written out somehow. Mental budgets aren't a thing. 
4. 9 times out of 10, you're spending more than you think you are. The only way to know for sure is to track it. 
5. If you don't want your hard earned money vanishing into thin air, you have to tell it where to go. 
6. If your budget is a family affair, you are much more likely to be successful. Finances are one of the biggest stresses couples say they struggle with. Get on the same page and work together. 
7. Sometimes sacrifice in the short term means big rewards in the long term. Don't let "small" purchases that happen all the time rob you of the big goals you have for the future. 
8. Know your goals. Write them down. Post them somewhere you'll see them regularly. Keep your eyes on the prize. 
9. If you can't pay cash, can you really afford it? Be smart with your spending and save up in advance. Don't go into debt over things that aren't absolutely necessary. 
10. Create a debt payoff plan for pre-existing debt. Find a payoff method that suits your needs and saves you the most money possible. 
11. Interest is money down the drain. Do everything you can to avoid paying interest charges. 
12. Don't let one set back snowball into disaster. There will always be hiccups in the game of life. Have an emergency fund, a plan b, and the determination to keep going.

Through this series, I've gained a much better understanding for how people learn, what budget weaknesses they might have and what they need to succeed. I thank each and every one of you who've followed along for challenging me. It is through challenge and struggle that we grow as people. This series has allowed me to grow and has yielded a resource that will be here for others to use in the future. I encourage you to come back here and review these posts when you feel yourself struggling to stay the course. I encourage you to share this series with others you know who may find it helpful. I encourage you to always be learning and to use each day as an opportunity to improve and flourish <3

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