Heyoooo!!!
Got a cool new product to pass along your way today, particularly for those who love some journaling/scrapbooking/good olโ sticker fun ;)
They come from my friend Michael Murphy who invented those Investing Journals we featured earlier in the year, and this time around heโs set his focus on helping people get excited about (and actually STICKING TO) their budgets more โ quite literally! Heโs calling them Budget Bear Budgeting Stickers, and you can see a smattering of what they look like below :)
But before we get to all that, let me announce the winners real quick of last weekโs book giveaway โ Quit Like a Millionaire, which turned out to be a super popular drawing as over 300 of you entered for it! And rightfully so as itโs a great book! But alas we only have two copies to hand out, and the lucky new owners of those two areโฆ.. dum dum dumโฆ MK and Linda (Commenter #118) โ Congrats, guys! Hope they get you both to a milly faster!
And now back to these baller stickersโฆ
The Budget Bear Budgeting Stickers
Per my friend โ
โThe Budget Bear is a fun sticker book guide to help a person create a new budget using stickers with guided instructions and examples. Other sticker pages help a person use stickers to figure our their net worth, spending habits, and other fun random budgeting stickers. The Budget Bear contains 10 pages total with over 1400 unique stickers in each booklet.โ
1,400 stickers!! All around finance!!!
Hereโs more about them below, along with examples of what they look likeโฆ
More from the Budget Bear website:
The Budget Bear Habit Stickers are designed to be used with any journal, notebook, planner, or calendar. You simply follow the instructions on each page; then use the stickers as labels writing in your specific information for each stepโฆ
Use these budgeting stickers to make budgeting fun, and to create a budget that you can actually keep. Building better spending and budgeting habits is key to growing your personal finances.
FEATURES INCLUDE STICKERS FOR:
- Spending Assessment
- Create a Personalized Budget
- Tracking and Commitment Stickers
- Credit / Debit Card Label Stickers and Receipt Stickers
- Spending Matrix to Learn about your Spending Habits
- Net worth assessment stickers to learn how much youโre worth on paper
- Monthly Labels & Variety of Star and Coin Stickers
Price for the stickers: $24.99, currently discounted down to $17.97!
[UPDATE: Michael just hooked us up with a 15% off promo code making it even CHEAPER for anyone whoโs interested! Just enter โJMONEYโ at checkout to get it, or if youโre on mobile click to view the summary and youโll find the place to enter it there before paying. Hope it helps!]
Learn more/order them here: Budget Bear Budgeting Stickers
********
Wanna chance to win a free pack of these??
Answer this question below in the comments or via email, and Iโll randomly select THREE of you to win your very own financial sticker book ;)
Whatโs the one area you SUCK at with budgeting??
And for extra credit โ whatโs the one area you ROCK to help make up for all that sucking?? ;)
Send in your answers by midnight this Friday, August 30th, and youโll automatically be entered to winโฆ U.S. only for this one, unfortunatelyโฆ
Good luck!! And keep on creating FUN new ways to get people excited about this stuff!!! Never know what will click and change someoneโs financial life! Pass this to anyone you think might be helped by it!
*** GIVEAWAY NOW OVER ***
Huge congrats to Sara, Leslie S., and Lisa B. for winning the stickers!! Hope they get you closer to being a millionaire! :)
*****
PS: Michael hooked me up with some free stickers and compensation for sharing this today, though I would have gladly done it anyways because BUDGETING STICKERS!!
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The area I suck at budgeting is eating out. Iโve cut back a lot but I canโt cut it out completely. I make up for it by finding new ways/hacks to save energy on utilities on the home.
Rock onโฆ
I still want to research solar panels more and see if theyโre worth it! I feel like that could be a great investment that will literally pay you back with each passing month :)
The guys over at ChooseFI did a podcast on this. Itโs a bit of a deep dive, but definitely worth listening to for anyone considering solar panels.
https://www.choosefi.com/105r-solar-panel-cost-analysis/
Great โ thank you!!
Good morning, I love this idea and plan to use it with my kids to help educate them on budgeting. So cool! I stink at keeping dinners out under control, so tempting to not have to cook. I am great at planning for small house project remodels and sticking to the budget by finding items on clearance and doing the work ourselves.
Love your blog!
Can I hire you to do work at MY house please???? :)
Neat idea for introducing kids to finances.
A kid thatโs really into stickers would learn something about money whether they wanted to or not. :)
Oops, I gotta go. My budget spreadsheet is giving me side-eye.
Hahaโฆ
You know these are for *adults* too, right???
Add some spice to that boring spreadsheet of yours!! ;)
Good point, and it would liven it up a bit.
(although, **cough**, I thought budgets were already sexy โ not boring)
But Iโm pretty sure when I switched apps the stickers would still be on my monitor. :)
Only one way to find out!
I suck at sticking to my grocery budget! But, I rock my discretionary spending budget because I enjoy just staying home in my free time.
I generally stink at gift giving, that area of my budget is out of control. I think we spend way too much in that area, but itโs difficult to cut back when other family members are always overgenerous. My local grocery store, Shoprite, has promotions where you buy a $50 gift card and you get $10 for next weekโs grocery trip. So I keep an envelope with gift cards for gift giving or gift shopping.
I have learned to keep groceries under control and stocking up on the food items we actually eat and use. I buy those things when they are on sale and plan our menu around those items.
That is a tricky one with gift giving!! About to actually blog about that soon as Iโm not even that great at giving gifts itself! Even though I wish I were!
Travel is my vice! I suck at budgeting when it comes to spending money while Iโm on vacation. Between hotels, plane tickets, going out to eat, etc., I could definitely learn to be more frugal. I just get so excited and have a hard time not making it emotional. Itโs what I live for! The ironic thing is, I know if I were smart about it, I could travel even more.
However, I rock at paying my bills every month and making those my priority. If my bills arenโt paid, then Iโm not going out or spending money on fun. I also stash money every paycheck, so I definitely pay myself first!
Haha yeahโฆ. vacation spending is sooooo much easier to do than regular spending :) Feels more like monopoly money at times than real money!
The area I suck at budgeting is the follow through. I can set up a budget with what we โshouldโ spend, but when we overspend in that area, I just borrow from what would have gone to savings or extra debt repayment to cover our overspending. But I do feel like I can put โsomeโ of the blame on my husband, because itโs hard to keep track of a budget when the other person doesnโt care as much.
What Iโm awesome at is rounding up debt payments. We may not be able to put a ton extra towards our debts, but you can bet that every debt is rounded up to the next $10 or $5. For example, one of our vehicle loans is supposed to be somewhere around $380 or $390 and some change (I honestly donโt know what it should be because Iโm so used to overpaying!!) but I always pay $400, just so we can get rid of it faster, even if itโs not a lot faster, every little bit helps.
Excellent idea!! And you barely even notice it too!
I suck at sticking to the eating out limit in my budget โ It should get better as summer ends. My other half loves to go out after work and we make it back home after 10 most nights.
I rock at crushing debt โ so far this year Iโve crushed over $9000 in debt so Iโm getting there.
Awesome!!! Congrats!!
I suck at eating food out currentlyโฆsometimes 3 meals a day! I was working full time and in graduate school full timeโฆsuch a bad combination. Was definitely taking a combination of โtreat yourselfโ and lack of time as an excuse to not meal prep and plan. I have cut back a smidge, but need to get it together. Also, with all those meals out, I basically have been paying to gain weight.
Well, at the end of the day, I am too busy and tired to shop for excess material goods or buy alcoholic drinks out! This period of zero time in the shops/bars, has made me realize how much extra stuff I was buying on an almost seasonal basis.
Paying to gain weight โ crazy to think about when put that way!
Something I spend too much money on is: notebooks, journals, cool planning calendars. You would think I was super organized, but sometimes I buy a new notebook to try to โorganizeโ myself, LOL! I am doing well in other areas though and my husband and I are striving to be consumer debt free by March. Hope to win one of your giveaways someday!
On the plus side โ if you win these stickers you have plenty of places to stick them!! ;)
We definitely suck at eating out. We spend way too much than Iโd like to admit. I guess we make up for it by being frugal with pretty much everything else
What a cute product!
I suck at budgeting clothing. We donโt shop for clothes very often but suddenly โitโs timeโ and I didnโt have that line item accounted for in that particular month. Especially with 3 little ones, when the season changes and they try to put pants back on again, Holy moly! Time for some new clothes.
A budget area where we rock at are our utilities โ I always over estimate in the budget so those bills never surprise me. I could have our gas and electricity annualized but I feel like I keep a better pulse on our usage when Iโm seeing the real charge every month. I also donโt want a surprise at the end of the year when the cost gets re-adjusted.
And kids GROW so fast too!! The clothes are hardly worn before you have to start upgrading โ crazyโฆ. (although on the flip side since theyโre all barely worn they make for great hand me downs to the younger siblings :))
Not entering, but while I stick to my budget, I suck at not being tight at the end of the month. Iโve made big progress on impulse buying, especially eating out, but still, every time, I have about 10% of my initial budget left on the final week, instead of the ideal 25%. I should be able to have it run more smoothly.
These stickers are so cute!
My biggest budget fail category is definitely food. What can I say, I like to eat! I love trying new restaurants and am not ambitious about or good at cooking, so I go out way more than I should. Iโm working on scaling it back though.
I suck at paying taxes. Iโm faithful about setting money aside for taxes, but I often pay them a week or two late :/ Other parts of the budget ebb and flow, but taxes are consistently late.
Have you tried setting automatic calendar reminders for โem?? Thatโs helped me to be on top of things moreโฆ Esp when you set the calendar item to hit 2 weeks before theyโre actually due :)
Sadly, even calendar reminders donโt help me do things I donโt want to do. Maybe if I promise myself a new sticker for paying taxes on time, Iโll do it on time :)
hahaโฆ I like the way you think.
Whatโs the one area you SUCK at with budgeting??
Mine is eating out โ It is a larger portion of my budget than I want; cooking for one is extremely boring.
And for extra credit โ whatโs the one area you ROCK to help make up for all that sucking?? ;)
My budget kicka$$ery (see what I did there? *grin*) is definitely in sliding completed bills over to savings. Anytime I lower a completing or lowered bill, the difference gets put into my savings portion of my biweekly direct deposit (separated into three portions: X to savings, Y to mortgage account, % rest to main account) and I maximize my 401k and matching.
BTW: If that lowered bill goes back up again, or I add a new one, I do not pull it from the savings portion of the paycheck.
Smart!!! Love it!
I suck at budgeting for eating out! Itโs so convenient as a busy family who resists doing dishes.
How comprehensive are the instructions?
I have no idea how this should work.
Instructions in the sticker book?
Havenโt seen a real life copy yet (Iโm getting one mailed for my kids!), but Iโd imagine it would explain the best ways to use them? I just assumed they were more for prettying up physical budgets and making them more fun, but Iโm sure they can be used in multiple ways..
Oh man I LOVE stickers.
I really rock with automatic withdrawals into the different savings buckets, and for bills and retirement. So easy. But Iโm not great at balancing the checkbook every month. Or tracking long-term to look for trends.
I suck at influencing my wife to budget. I grew up doing it, she didnโt. She does love planning stickers, so maybe budgeting stickers would work on her.
How funny would it be if these completely changed her life when it came to money??! :)
Stickers are not just for kidsโI have an obsession with them and cute prints on washi tape!
The area I suck at with budgeting: My โDining outโ category. (By the looks of the other comments, I am not alone on this. :) )
But the area I rock? Everything else, because all the bills, savings and investments are automated and tracked.
I suck at budgeting for eating out. I always underestimate and I canโt say no to a meal I didnโt cook lol. We only eat out at like Qdoba or Chick-fil-A so itโs not like 30+ dollar sit down places (family of 4) Iโm best at saving a good chunk of our money monthly. We save about 38% of take home pay on one income. One car helps out a ton + only debt is our home.
38% on one income!! Amazing!!! I feel like you should be able to eat out as much as youโd like when youโre doing so well in the savings area hahaโฆ or maybe just top it off at a nice even 40% and then go back to eating out ;)
Hi J. Money!
Welcome back from your well-deserved sabbatical! And OMG STICKERS!!! I definitely want to be in the running for these, so here are my answers to your questions:
1) I absolutely suck at keeping my overall credit card balances down. I use a credit card for almost every purchase because Iโm hoping that the points will take me Macedonia someday (thereโs so much I want to see there!) and I only have balances on two cards right now, but Iโm definitely tired of doing the balance transfer shuffle every 12-15 months. Both of my cards are currently at 0% APR, but I paid an up front 4% fee to get the APR on one, and the other cardโs 0% introductory rate expires in July 2020. Iโll easily have the older card paid off by January 2020, when the transfer rate expires, but itโll take some serious hustlinโ to pay down the intro rate on my newer card. Iโve had some big work done on my home this year and Iโve fallen into the trap of โfeeling like I deserve stuffโ more often than Iโd like lately.
Aside from the occasional balance transfer fee, which is more than just loose change, I do not pay interest on my credit cards as a rule. But I keep thinking about how much more I could do with my money if I wasnโt constantly chasing my tail like this, so I give myself low marks for revolving credit discipline.
Howeverโฆ
2) I rock my food budget every month! I never eat at restaurants on a normal day (restaurants are for birthdays and road trips) and I manage my caffeine habit by brewing at home and drinking any free coffee available to me without succumbing to the temptation of overpriced espresso. Itโs worth noting that I am from Seattle (though I live in a different part of Washington now) and Iโd like to raise myself up as a beacon to all Seattleites that there IS life and functionality outside of the espresso bar!!
As far as food goes, Iโm diligent about cooking at home and freezing ahead for the days I donโt have time to cook. The lunches I bring to work are creative and frugal โ lots of one pot rice and bean remixes โ and my social life thrives without having to live it out in restaurants and bars. Giving up booze three years ago was a huge boon to my disposable income, not to mention my productivity. Soโฆhuge gold star for food and beverage!
I just read all the comments and I see what a sticking point the food thing is for so many. It took me a long time to get good batch cooking mojo going. Now I love it. I only cook about once a week, but I make large quantities and freeze for later so I donโt have to eat the same stuff all the time. But it definitely takes effort and planning to get a rythm going. May you find yours!
What a thorough answer! I wish I could just award you one of the sticker packs but unfortunately itโs all randomized, hahaโฆ
Iโll be secretly hoping you win one of them though! Love that youโre so good at food/booze as thatโs usually a Top 3 issue for most people for sure โ including myself (although now I only drink 1 or 2 beers a week vs 100-200 in my partying years, hahaโฆ)
Wishing you good success in that c/c chasing tooโฆ I think it would make for an excellent goal to hit by this time next year (100% paid off!!!) and I bet if you set the hard date youโll find a way to make it happen ;)
Thanks for stopping by the blog today.
One area I suck at with budgeting is actually my date night budget with my wife! We have a predetermined amount but we just enjoy each otherโs company too much in restaurants! We have to make a better habit of using our wonderful bike path to take peaceful (and free) strolls along the city.
One area we totally rock at is our student loan repayment. Last year we put almost 70% of our income to loans and that was the same year that our first child was born. BOOM! NO EXCUSES FOR SALLIE MAE TO HANG OUT HERE.
STOP!! How is that even possible???? You need to write up a manuscript or something as it would be a best seller showing people how itโs done! Hahaโฆ Rock on!! And you go enjoy those dates together โ those will be harder and harder to pull off with those kids popping out! :)
The area I need a lot of improvement in is Out to Eat Budget. We blow it every time!! I also really donโt like the little details involved in budgeting. The place where I rock is always ending up in the positive at the end of the month.
A little background though: We Give first, then Save, and then Spend with our money. Our Giving and Saving is automatic so the priorities are set. I am a full time stay at home mom (of multiple kids including one with some pretty significant disabilities) and I homeschool my kids. Its busy! However, I decided a few years back that I would rather pay someone else to do some of the cooking and cleaning.. as such I also work full time for our local University. I teach online courses and manage research grants from home (mostly at night when the kids are sleeping). My husband works full time and is completing his Doctorate full time as well. We run pretty hard but love our life. This has given us a ton of financial freedom to save and get rocking on our FIRE goals. It has also allowed me to feel perfectly at ease going out to eat when I want to, hiring someone to cut our grass, and occasionally hire someone to come in and help clean once a month. So in regards to budgeting, I hate the details but am quite happy as long as there is a good chunk of money left over at the end of the month to decide what we want to do with (mostly save for additional rental property investments, pay for school, and save!)
BOOM!!! Super mom!!! You deserve these stickers STAT, hahaโฆ
I suck at budgeting overall so Iโve stopped. Now, I automate everything upfront (savings, investing and all bills) and live off the rest.
Maybe try tracking your net worth instead? Lots of similar effects, while only requiring 1/10th of the time ;)
https://budgetsaresexy.com/is-net-worth-tracking-the-new-budgeting/
Area I suck with budgeting is eating out (itโs just so convenient). Most of the rest of my monthly bills are automated and typically run about the same (or close to) every month.
*** GIVEAWAY NOW OVER ***
Huge congrats to Sara, Leslie S., and Lisa B. for winning the stickers!!
Hope they get you closer to being a millionaire! :)
This is a nice incentive. I might get pair to encourage my girlfriend to make a better budget for herself :) She has a thing for spending what she earns. Maybe stickers can be used to create a better overview for her.
Never know! Weโre all wired so differently and sometimes itโs the small things that click :)