Photo by: emdot

WithinMeans dot com is getting older every week.

Today I wanted to re-visit three of my favorite posts so far:

1. My favorite post: A Strong Budgeting Foundation

When I was done with this post, I almost felt like everything had come together on its own.

The picture, the idea, the structure – it all seemed to say exactly what I was excited about that week.

2. Most proud of: A New Perspective on Budgeting

Is it possible to be proud of a post about how I need to be more humble? Seems like that would negate the whole concept.

3. Highest hits: Burn!

Not sure if I should be proud of this or not.

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Thanks again for all of your readership, subscriber-ship, comments, and budgeting efforts!

Photo by: doug88888

One month of budgeting!

I hope that a lot of people will be setting goals for 2010 that revolve around starting a budget, staying on a budget, and using their budget more.

My challenge for you is to start and stay on a budget for the month of January.

If you can do that, you’ll know you can keep it up for the rest of the year.

I like to think that the free One Month of Budgeting emails I give away make a difference to those who sign up for them. I always get a little excited to see when someone’s signed up because it means someone was willing to take at least one step towards getting their 95% in order.

If you’re willing to try out the challenge just fill out the form below (or on the sidebar to the right) and your inbox will get one email a week reminding you to update your budget, as well as listing a few tips for getting the most out of the experience. After your sixth email you can continue budgeting on your own, or sign up again if you enjoy getting the reminders.

*Edit – January has ended, but the One Month of Budgeting emails are always available – and this form still works if you want to sign up here.

If you’re reading this in a reader, you can click through here to see the form.

Photo by: ajawin

A common mistake I make is to budget too little for food. It’s pretty easy for me to do.

When I see how much money I have compared to all the things I want, I start thinking “Well, I probably only need about $___ (or so) a week for groceries” and then budget the rest towards other things.

The problem is, of course, that I get hungry – then I get cranky – then I start hating my budget. Eventually I take money back from those other things so I don’t kill everyone in a starved craze.

There are certain parts of our different lifestyles that are more sensitive to change than others, and our appetites can be one of them

Of course cutting back on food isn’t a bad thing – it may be one of the goals you’re trying to accomplish with a budget – but give yourself a month or two before you start budgeting big changes to your lifestyle. By then your goals for your paychecks will be clearer, and if you want to cut back on food to achieve them, you’ll have a better grip on the how and why.

You might be more apt to sticking with your budget when you’ve found that balance between your budget and your stomach.