Once you create a budget and get used to sticking to it, you may feel like you've got everything under control and can just cruise on autopilot. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. Becoming complacent in your budgeting and with your spending ensures you will miss opportunities to save and to manage things better. Or worse, you see your spending more but you don’t know why. It’s because your expenditures are constantly evolving and changing. Have you noticed the price of most items you buy weekly are starting to creep upwards? That's why it's crucial that you review your spending habits regularly.
Here’s how:
Review
A review is really a very simple process. It simply requires that you look over your budget every few months to see if there's anything you could tighten up or tweak. As our lives change, we may find we add items to our expenditures. It's easy to move forward and take those things for granted. A review lets you analyze your budget to ensure that your money is still going to things that make sense.
Here’s how I review my budget:
I use the Dave Ramsey EveryDollar app and I set my personal budget up before the month begins (most of the time – lol!). As I set the budget for the NEW month I have ONE question I ask myself for every line to keep things practical financially. I ask myself, “Is this necessary?” If not, I will take action to Cut it out starting in the new month. If I do need it and my budget isn’t balanced, I look for something else that will have to be adjusted to accommodate this new cost. As the month moves along, using the app, I am able to move transactions from my banks or credit cards to these budget items to see how I’m doing as I go or as I evaluate the new month based on my prior month’s activity.
In your business, this is why keeping up the books makes sense. Whether you are using software or spreadsheets, making the connection between bank statements, books, and budget is imperative to keeping your limits in place. And just so you know, it’s OK if this is not where you are. Baby steps!
Prioritize
There are tons of small things most of us pay for on a regular basis that we could probably stand to do without. Maybe it's something we once enjoyed a great deal and now never use. This is often true of services like that Hulu subscription you thought would save you so much money on cable or going out to the movies. But have you even watched anything on it in the past few months? If not, you should consider whether you still need it.
In your business:
The same is true of software for business. Check out your tech stack. Are you using all of these? Did you notice recently that one software added some features that you are currently using from another software? Is the difference in price over time worth the cost of ending one subscription and taking the time to implement the use of the upgraded feature on the other software? There are likely lots of items like this you could prioritize in terms of importance.
Cut
Once you've evaluated what you truly use and enjoy versus what you may be needlessly paying for, it's time to make some cuts. Surely, there are at least a few items you can live without if you're being honest with yourself. Take a look at what you've listed as a priority and what could probably be axed. Start with just one item. Identify it. Then go ahead and cancel it. Once you see you don't need it, you'll probably be ready to knock off one or two more next month.
Are you like me?
For business or pleasure, I will buy something with the assumption that because I spent money on it, I will use it. This thing, whether a physical item or a membership in some club or piece of software, will sit there staring at me, daring me to use it or join in the conversation or open the dumb app, and then when I don’t, it will give me a guilt trip every time I look at it. 😖 I will delay cutting this expense off because I’m still thinking that I really should use this. Finally, after way too long a time, I started getting wise to these convictions. Now, if I don’t use something for three months, I drop it like a hot potato. I don’t think about it anymore. I figure life is too short to let a club of the month condemn me.
The Bottom Line
Take time on a regular basis to review your spending habits and budget – because what we know is that “every decision is a profit decision and profit is measured in time, energy, and money.” Set aside time every three or four months at least for a quick assessment to see where things stand. Literally, put the time on your calendar 📆 and do not cancel this date – protect your time! Getting rid of unnecessary expenses is quite satisfying. Your budget (and your growing self) will thank you.
