How to Keep Your Budget on Track

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Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for American Express Serve. I applied for the Serve Cash Back card to facilitate my review and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

For YEARS now I’ve been saying “I need to get on a budget”. It was true years ago and it’s true now. I need to get on a budget. For some reason it’s so hard for me to sit down and examine what income we’re bringing in, what my bills are and what I’m spending. I think a part of it is because my income fluctuates often due to the nature of my job(s). In reality the fact that my income fluctuates monthly is even more of a reason that I *need* to create a budget.

In the past I’ve tried a couple of different methods to track my income. I’ve used Mint.com, google documents and pen & paper. After playing with all three I think I’ve discovered the key to creating an accurate budget that works for me especially with a new idea I have that I plan to implement in the upcoming month to try it out.

Ready for it??

I use ALL three PLUS I’ll be implementing the American Express Serve Cash Back card. Here’s how to keep your budget on track especially if you have multiple income sources or a fluctuating income.

Mint

Mint.com allows me to put all of my bank accounts and credits cards in one spot so that I can not only easily track what I’m spending but also track what I’m taking in every single month. There are plenty of things out there that allow you to do this, I’ve just found that the Mint app is working best for me!

Google Documents

If your income fluctuates month to month the way that mine does you need something to track it. Since much of my work is online I use google sheets. I have tabs that track my income AND expenses (for later use) for my three income sources: this ole blog, Little Oils and my Doula work. Here is what my income sheet looks like (note the tabs at the bottom for each of my income sources).

And here is my expenses sheet.

This allows me to track my monthly income for each income source so I can have a projected income and what I actually received and track what payments are due to me.

Pen & Paper

I have a planner that I absolutely love and I use it every single day. I like using pen & paper so I also have a budget sheet that I use. This is why I chose to combine my three income sources so that I have a place to look where it’s altogether. There are so many adorable printable budgets out there and I encourage you to find the one that works best for you and your family!

American Express Serve Cash Back

Once I’ve officially established what my budget is I plan on putting my “Spending” money in one place. It will be the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card. Every month I will add the allotted budget for spending money to that card. Once the money is gone IT’S GONE and I have to wait until the following month to start spending again. Things that fall into this category *for me* are: Eating out, fun purchases for me or the kids and entertainment items (not including TV/Netflix).

What’s American Express Serve Cash Back?

American Express Serve Cash Back is a prepaid debit card by American Express. It’s the *first* prepaid debit card to offer CASH BACK. I thought that may grab your attention! You’ll get 1% cash back for every dollar you spend when shopping in store or online.

Getting your hands on a American Express Serve Cash Back is easy. Register on-line to get a prepaid card in the mail for free or you can purchase the card at a local retailer for up to $3.95. American Express Serve Cash Back is accepted virtually anywhere American Express is excepted. You’ll also get additional benefits and features like Purchase Protection.