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Starting and Sticking to a Budget: Step 1

Keep a Spending Log

Sample Spending Log
Date Place  What did I buy? Category/Reason $ Amount
1/1 Grocery 1 week of groceries Food $150.52
1/3 Pharmacy Prescriptions Healthcare $10.07
1/5 Wal-Mart Vitamins Healthcare $11.95
1/5 Wal-Mart Groceries (lunch snacks, milk, eggs) Food $33.24
1/5 Wal-Mart Art supplies for school project Kids/Education $6.99

If you can't remember how much you spent, guess. Don't leave off your gas purchase because you can't recall the exact amount. It's better to estimate than omit.

After the month is over, examine your spending and categorize your expenses: housing, utilities, food, transportation, clothing, medical/health, entertainment, debts, savings, and other. You should also examine which members of your family are responsible for which expenses.

Do you notice any trends? Are you making more "extra" purchases just after payday? Do you rely on credit cards more at the end of the month? How are your children spending their allowances? How much are you and your partner spending on lunch each day?
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About The Author

Stepfanie Romine
A former newspaper reporter, Stepfanie now writes about nutrition, health and fitness, with an emphasis on whole foods and from-scratch cooking. She is a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher who enjoys Spinning, international travel and vegetables of all kinds. See all of Stepfanie's articles.

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