Need to Stop OVERSPENDING? Plan Your Money Like You Plan Your Week! (Let me show you how)

Feb 11

Have you ever looked at your checking account and thought “Wait. Where did it all go??”

You, my friend, are not alone! We have all been there.

You get paid, but then there are bills and groceries and Amazon and Target and life is busy and you’re trying to keep up and before you know it you feel like you’ve been running on ice all week - moving furiously, but getting nowhere!

We ALL feel you. And what you need…is a plan and a little direction.

How to Stop Overspending

Overspending can be so frustrating and demoralizing. Especially when it’s one of those weeks you are exhausted just from trying to get from one thing to the next.

My best advice on how to stop overspending is to create a plan around your spending.

Which is simple…but not easy - at first!

Plan Your Money Like You Plan Your Week

Believe it or not, time and money have a LOT in common.

Think about how you plan your time each week.

You know what the “big” things are that have to get done: work, doctor appointments, picking up kids, grocery shopping, etc.

You also know where you’re going to squeeze in the little things like getting gas so you get the big things done, picking up oranges for the soccer game, that dress from the tailor, and your mom’s prescription.

You plan what day you’re going to need to make sure you combine errands. Or, perhaps, you’ll need to multitask by taking a call while you’re on the way to the dentist. You finagle here and jiggle things there to make sure it all gets done.

Well, just like you finagle and jiggle things around to plan your time each week, you can plan your money exactly the same way!

Seriously.

Just Take it One Paycheck at a Time

It all comes down to planning how you’re going to spend your money, also called intentional spending.

Just like your time, you can plan for the big things and finagle and jiggle around the little things.

The easiest place to start is with ONE paycheck. That’s right, just start with ONE paycheck and then go from there.

I call this the Budget by Paycheck Method and you can read more about it HERE, but this is basically what you do:

When you get paid, sit down with your bank app and your calendar
Go back to the prior month and figure out what you paid for during the same dates
For example, let’s say you got paid on the 10th and you get paid every two weeks
Go look in your banking app and figure out what you paid for in the prior month between the 10th to the 24th (ish)
If you’re feeling super motivated, do the same thing for the previous two or three months, that should give you a good idea of your spending habits during that time of the month
Back out any seasonal spending like birthdays and anniversaries.
Now, look at your calendar and put in the “big rocks”, that is, the bills that are coming out automatically and the bills you need to pay in the coming two weeks
What I would do next is go ahead and pay those bills. My philosophy is the sooner the money is out of my account to sooner I don’t have to worry I’ll accidentally spend it on something else!
Subtract those “big rocks” from your paycheck balance
What’s left is what you have to spend on everything else
Now, plan that out. For example, what day are you going to the grocery store? On average, how much have you spent at the grocery store at that time of the month in the last couple of months? I know when I still had a kid at home, my big grocery run tended to happen in the middle of the month
Don’t forget to work in saving for your Emergency Fund, vacation savings, and your other savings goals!

What you’ve done is create an Intentional Spending PLAN for roughly the next two weeks.

You’ve figured out the “big rocks”. Maybe you even paid them so you don’t have to worry about them anymore. You’ve looked at your other expenses and figured out what you generally spend on gas, groceries, eating out, etc.

You’ve very intentionally figured out exactly how much you’ve allotted yourself to spend, taking into account what’s in your checking account right now.

You now have a PLAN! 💃 💃 💃

Can that plan go a little awry now and then? Sure. Because Life. But, just like when your week goes a little awry, you’ll be able to look at your plan and move things around.

It takes a little time and attention, but it is so worth it in the end!

One BIG Thing to Remember so you Don’t Overspend!

There is one very important point: Do not plan for your aspirational self - plan for the real you.

Plan for the You that’s going to sprint through your week in fast forward just trying to get stuff done. You have to plan for HER (or HIM!).

For example, I KNOW I am not going to want to cook most nights. Cooking for just myself is boring, and a little depressing.

When I’m planning my money like I plan my week I have two ways I stop myself from mindlessly spending my money eating out every day. Something that is not good for my pocketbook or the size of my jeans!

The first way is by batch cook each month. I know what you’re thinking: I do not have TIME to batch cook!

But, here’s one of my Life and Money Rules: whenever possible I try to be nice to Future Me.

Future Me has probably had a busy Monday. Future Me is tired. Future Me already has her purse in hand and is halfway out the door when she remembers that Past Me was nice to her!

Future Me is going to looooove Past Me that stocked up the freezer with food so she doesn’t have to cook! (Or leave the house! Or put on hard pants!)

However, even though I know Future Me is going to be so happy she has food to eat, I also know she is still going to want to eat out a couple of times per week.

Because both of us work from home and sometimes we just need to get out of the house, you know what I mean?

So, the second thing I do when I’m planning my money like I plan my week is to plan to eat out at least twice per week.

Now, my aspirational self wants me to say I’m not going to eat out at all. But, my real self knows I am absolutely going to! So, I plan for it.

I’ll say it again for the people in the back: Plan your money like you plan your week. You will not be sorry!

Conclusion

Intentional saving and spending are key components to creating a budget that works for you, your lifestyle, and the lifestyle you want to build for yourself in the future.

How to curb spending? By intentionally planning your money like you plan your week and being okay when you have to jiggle things around to make sure everything gets done - and paid for!

Want to know MORE about how to manage your budget in your bill calendar?

Check out my class on Skillshare! Skillshare is a learning platform where you can learn everything from watercolor painting to How to Build Your Budget in Your Bill Calendar!

Use this link to get a FREE 30 days to check out my class and lots of others:

https://rebrand.ly/LT_SK_BuildCalendar

However, even though I know Future Me is going to be so happy she has food to eat, I also know she is still going to want to eat out a couple of times per week.

Because both of us work from home and sometimes we just need to get out of the house, you know what I mean?

So, the second thing I do when I’m planning my money like I plan my week is to plan to eat out at least twice per week.

Now, my aspirational self wants me to say I’m not going to eat out at all. But, my real self knows I am absolutely going to! So, I plan for it.

I’ll say it again for the people in the back: Plan your money like you plan your week. You will not be sorry!

Want to know MORE about how to manage your budget in your bill calendar?

Check out my class on Skillshare! Skillshare is a learning platform where you can learn everything from watercolor painting to How to Build Your Budget in Your Bill Calendar!

Use this link to get a FREE 30 days to check out my class and lots of others: https://rebrand.ly/LT_SK_BuildCalendar

**I am not a licensed financial advisor. I am a money expert and I offer education, tips, tricks and my opinions around money. You should consult a professional who understands your needs in order to make the best decisions for you! Additionally, some links in this blog may be affiliate links, which means if you click the link and buy the product I may earn a small commission - at NO COST to You! It’s one of the ways I keep the lights on around here so TYIA! 😉