Today’s post is written by the lovely Kelly of Kelly Cox at Home. 

Budgets, math class and the like use to bring me to tears but not anymore!  I’ve learned to embrace budgeting and have seen the fruits of my labor in more ways than one.  However, I still have some tough budget months.

Have you ever experienced that unfortunate moment when you realized you’ve had a “budget fail?”  I know I have.  Certainly not my finest budgeting moment but I sure learned a lot, realizing that I could and would make it through.

While budgets are amazing tools that allow you to manage your home and finances better, an occasional budget fail is bound to happen.  Budgets are simply written plans and not invincible to the occasional unexpected, sudden expense.

I’ve had this happen many times.  To define, a budget fail is when you have overspent either by accident or by necessity (i.e. major car expense) and your budget is officially blown!

For example, we recently had to get tires on my husband’s car.  We had not budgeted that month for such a high expense; however, we restructured our budget to stay within it as much as possible.

While we did have a budget fail that month, we got the necessary new tires for his car and just tightened up other places for the rest of the month. 

To succeed in budgeting, you must figure out what works and what doesn’t.  I’m an overachieving, goal setting crazy.  Our occasional budget fails would really frustrate me.  So I figured out a few ways to survive those tough months!

Tips to Survive a Budget Fail:

Give yourself a break

Budgets aren’t perfect and neither are any of us!  If you dwell on the budget mishap, then you won’t be able to move on from it as quickly.  Recognize the issue, learn from it and give yourself some grace. 

Also, if you’re married, then don’t forget to give your spouse a break too.  You need to weather this budget issue together!

Regroup when necessary

Look at what caused your budget to fail and think through what you can learn from it all.  Was your budget realistic?  Did you make it too tight and restrictive?  Since budgets are an overall plan, they sometimes need to be tweaked. 

If your budget fails, then figure out what you can do to avoid the same situation in the future.   A little regroup will help to ensure the next month will go more smoothly.  Remember, your budget is a plan to help you live below your means, but it’s not always going to be flawless.

Restructure your budget

If you know you are going to be over budget for the month, then try to restructure your plan.  What can you move around and what can you adjust in order to be “better” at the end of the month?

Is there something you could do without or push off into another month?  Make the effort to try so you’ll come out better than if you just continued on like the issue didn’t even arise!

Don’t give up

Resolve ahead of time to not give up on your budget and find a budget format that works well for you.   I know it may get tough but a budget will help you to pay off debt and manage your finances more strategically.

Remember that your budget is simply a plan and worth working on.  Over time, you’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll see in your finances.  Stay the course!

I love budgets.  Our family’s financial situation was transformed because we began to live on one.  We are now debt free, are able to give more generously and can handle our bills on one income.  In fact, we are waitlisted to adopt our first child and I’m able to stay home full time with our baby because we learned how to budget on one income.

Think of your budget as a marathon and not a sprint.  Be sure to give it time and don’t let a budget fail derail your effort to have greater financial freedom!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelly is a Christ follower, blessed wife, mom to be and a lover of all things home.  She blogs over at www.KellyCoxAtHome.com about her journey at home and passion for budgets and debt-free living.  She hopes to encourage others in that goal, while sharing tips on how to manage and enjoy all things that make up HOME!  

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