3 Tips for Easier Budgeting, According to Rachel Cruze

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Knowing that you should have a budget is one thing. Creating and sticking with one is another. If you’re a natural spender, it can be especially tough to identify the areas you want — or need — to cut down on so that your finances stretch further in a given month.

If you struggle with budgeting, you’re not alone. In a recent YouTube video, Rachel Cruze talked about budgeting and shared three simple tips for making the entire process easier and more effective. Here are a few ways you can make a budget work for you.

Get Rid of the Clutter

Cruze likened budgeting to an organizational trend known as “house hushing.” With house hushing, you essentially take everything out of a room in your home, aside from large furniture, curtains, rugs and those sorts of things.

This leaves you with a clean slate and the opportunity to bring back items to your home as you see fit, but only those that truly spark joy in your life. It also helps you find and hold onto the things that you truly use, rather than all the clutter or “noise” — thus, the “hushing” effect.

Cruze pointed out that the same concept can work for your budget. Since you see your budget or finances every day, it’s easy to become blind to the areas that actually matter or need work.

If your budget is cluttered and you need a financial reset, she suggested getting rid of everything in your budget except the “Four Walls,” which are:

• Food
• Shelter
• Utilities
• Transportation

Anything that’s not truly necessary should go. This might be monthly subscriptions, cable, a membership to the gym or YMCA or something similar. By starting fresh with your budget, you’ll get a clean slate that can help you see what you need, what you use and what’s taking up space — or, in this case, money.

Adjust Your Savings Category

While “budget hushing,” Cruze suggested looking at your savings category since you won’t have all that clutter in the way. You might find yourself with more money than you did before for things like saving or investing.

You can then adjust your savings accordingly. Or you can start putting more money toward paying down debt.

Cruze also noted that as you start to make progress toward those more important financial goals of yours, you might find yourself missing the things you cut out less and less. And with more progress, you might also be motivated to keep working toward those goals, thus keeping more of your money free.

Use Paper

If you have a habit of running the numbers in your head, you might want to change how you go about budgeting. Cruze suggested writing everything down on paper as this will give you a clearer picture of the numbers.

Alternatively, you can use a budgeting app that simplifies the process. With some apps, you can link them to your bank account to really track your spending and other financial habits. This makes budgeting even easier, especially if you want to monitor your finances on the go.

Extra Tip: Take Some Time

Don’t try to rush the budgeting process. If you’re new to it, Cruze recommended taking some time — maybe a month — to truly declutter your budget, eliminate those unnecessary expenses, adjust your savings goals and write out what works for you.

Once you’ve done all of this, she suggested slowly re-incorporating any high-priority expenses.

You should reassess your budget every now and then. As Cruze pointed out in her video, your budget isn’t a fixed or permanent thing. It’s always evolving. Sometimes, it might even change on a monthly basis — if not more frequently.

The main takeaway here is to budget with intention and keep things simple. And if you have a partner or spouse, you may want to sit down with them once a month or so to check your budget. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, especially if nothing major has changed, but it can keep you on track financially.

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