Comments on: Do you budget by using The Force? http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/ Personal finance, commentary, and spending less the easy way Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:58:11 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Gregory Pennington http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-155319 Gregory Pennington Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:27:16 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-155319 The second method is almost by 'force'. As long as you have the self control not to re-transfer those savings then you have no option other than to stick to the predefined budget. A nice concept! The second method is almost by ‘force’. As long as you have the self control not to re-transfer those savings then you have no option other than to stick to the predefined budget. A nice concept!

]]> By: tarits http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-114482 tarits Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:09:13 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-114482 a Jedi I am...use the Force in budgeting I do. sorry, couldn't resist the temptation; i'm a die-hard star wars fan. and yes i prove the rule, since i am single and in a high paying job so the Force works for me. may the Force be with you! a Jedi I am…use the Force in budgeting I do.

sorry, couldn’t resist the temptation; i’m a die-hard star wars fan. and yes i prove the rule, since i am single and in a high paying job so the Force works for me.

may the Force be with you!

]]> By: Stephen http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-114439 Stephen Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:52:56 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-114439 A disturbance in 'the Force'. Love it. :) A disturbance in ‘the Force’. Love it. :)

]]> By: db http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-41736 db Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:00:20 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-41736 Can I be a 1/2 budget, 1/2 Force person? I tried doing the detailed-neatly-typed-spreadsheet- with-macros thing but it didn't really fit me. If I leave it to the Force things can slip by me, and I do follow Dave Ramsey's approach where my money goes down to the WIRE -- right now for example I have exactly $148 in my checking to cover the next two weeks. I'll make it but it'll be lean. So I have my budget pretty simplified, and what I do is a back-of-the-napkin budget for every paycheck -- I know what exactly is coming in and what needs to come out over that two week period in my head, so I scratch it all out and figure out the remainder for debt. Two things: --Every paycheck includes a set sum of money that I tuck aside for irregular expenses like car rent, etc. It's easy to figure out what these are and estimate what to withhold over the course of the year so that when you need to pay the money is there. --I routinely budget a fixed amount for FOOD for OTHER -- anything that isn't a bill or a debt comes out of these two pools. (I can have a latte every day and eat out if I don't want to go to the grocery store -- I CANNOT exceed my budget for these items. -- I simply can't because it's already been paid to a bill.) Is that a budget or the Force? db www.debtblitzkrieg.com Can I be a 1/2 budget, 1/2 Force person?

I tried doing the detailed-neatly-typed-spreadsheet- with-macros thing but it didn’t really fit me. If I leave it to the Force things can slip by me, and I do follow Dave Ramsey’s approach where my money goes down to the WIRE — right now for example I have exactly $148 in my checking to cover the next two weeks. I’ll make it but it’ll be lean.

So I have my budget pretty simplified, and what I do is a back-of-the-napkin budget for every paycheck — I know what exactly is coming in and what needs to come out over that two week period in my head, so I scratch it all out and figure out the remainder for debt.

Two things:
–Every paycheck includes a set sum of money that I tuck aside for irregular expenses like car rent, etc. It’s easy to figure out what these are and estimate what to withhold over the course of the year so that when you need to pay the money is there.

–I routinely budget a fixed amount for FOOD for OTHER — anything that isn’t a bill or a debt comes out of these two pools. (I can have a latte every day and eat out if I don’t want to go to the grocery store — I CANNOT exceed my budget for these items. — I simply can’t because it’s already been paid to a bill.)

Is that a budget or the Force?

db
http://www.debtblitzkrieg.com

]]> By: philskaren http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-39281 philskaren Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:39:30 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-39281 We use the force method of budgeting. We are relatively young with no kids and just try to be reasonalbe with our spending---eating out and technology purchases are our biggest weaknesses. We have started tracking our purchases, but have not instituted a formal budget. The force appears to be a more fun way to spend life, but you probably can not save as much by budgeting by the force. We use the force method of budgeting. We are relatively young with no kids and just try to be reasonalbe with our spending—eating out and technology purchases are our biggest weaknesses. We have started tracking our purchases, but have not instituted a formal budget. The force appears to be a more fun way to spend life, but you probably can not save as much by budgeting by the force.

]]> By: Make Love, Not Debt http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-39279 Make Love, Not Debt Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:55:08 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-39279 <strong>Oh Nos! Not The B-Word!...</strong> Over a year ago, figuring out where our money went was an easy task. Since we weren't making as much and we had considerably more debt, we budgeted using the Force. The Force? Wha? Budgeting using The Force is more...... Oh Nos! Not The B-Word!…

Over a year ago, figuring out where our money went was an easy task. Since we weren’t making as much and we had considerably more debt, we budgeted using the Force. The Force? Wha? Budgeting using The Force is more……

]]> By: Michael Evans http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-26611 Michael Evans Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:04:24 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-26611 Anyone using the "force" method should really try keep a detailed list of their spending for a few months. It just takes a bit of time and a notebook or spreadsheet. You might be surprised at the savings you can make with a bit of planning. And when you look at putting those savings into an investment or your mortgage it can be really worthwhile. Anyone using the “force” method should really try keep a detailed list of their spending for a few months. It just takes a bit of time and a notebook or spreadsheet. You might be surprised at the savings you can make with a bit of planning. And when you look at putting those savings into an investment or your mortgage it can be really worthwhile.

]]> By: Foobarista http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-24498 Foobarista Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:51:26 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-24498 We're "force" budgeters; we save all of my wife's income, and about half of mine (after taxes). We are quite frugal, and are DINKs with relatively high income. I think the "DINKs point" is that there are fewer transactions. If you have a lot of transactions, you may need to budget more carefully. If you only spend money a couple days every week, you can probably get away with "using the force". We’re “force” budgeters; we save all of my wife’s income, and about half of mine (after taxes). We are quite frugal, and are DINKs with relatively high income. I think the “DINKs point” is that there are fewer transactions. If you have a lot of transactions, you may need to budget more carefully. If you only spend money a couple days every week, you can probably get away with “using the force”.

]]> By: mbhunter http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-24300 mbhunter Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:53:16 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-24300 EMF: No problem. I don't know who would want to steal that guy's handle anyway. ;) Thanks for the comments! It probably couldn't hurt to budget a little more. EMF: No problem. I don’t know who would want to steal that guy’s handle anyway. ;)

Thanks for the comments! It probably couldn’t hurt to budget a little more.

]]> By: Pretty Cheap Jewelry http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/comment-page-1/#comment-24157 Pretty Cheap Jewelry Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:46:39 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/01/04/do-you-budget-by-using-the-force/#comment-24157 As a little wise old green man once said, "Size matters not, except in bottom line spending of yours." We went to one income when having our kids (now 6 and 8) and it was not as hard as we worried. I was well into a decent paid technical career. Much of the expenses can be reduced greatly. Lots of tips for SAHMs for the asking. As a little wise old green man once said, “Size matters not, except in bottom line spending of yours.”

We went to one income when having our kids (now 6 and 8) and it was not as hard as we worried. I was well into a decent paid technical career. Much of the expenses can be reduced greatly. Lots of tips for SAHMs for the asking.

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