I think budgeting and practical finances should be taught at multiple stages throughout a student’s life. I thought I knew the general idea but didn’t appreciate how much neglecting it would set me back.
What is your process for budgeting? As a starting point this article lists a few methods.
I use zero based budgeting where every dollar is assigned a purpose. I don’t end up sticking exactly to the plan, but I do keep a spreadsheet which lists my current balances and all expected expenses, so I can see my future balance and avoid going in the red. A couple times a month I cross off expenses which have been paid and update the balance. This is especially helpful to me because a big portion of my income is irregular month to month.
I follow an unconventional method that I came up with myself: any time I spend money on anything “unnecessary” (so, excluding things like rent, groceries, etc), I put an equal amount into my savings account.
Pros include: This method alleviates my guilt of spending money on myself. It scales, so the more money I make, the more I tend to save. It’s flexible enough that even during the times where I can’t afford to save, I can still stick to it.