Carry a cashbook
Since we downshifted to rural Worcestershire and I left work to be a fulltime mum I have started to manage the family’s weekly and monthly budget (before this move I just spent). If I saw something I liked I generally bought it. No wonder I ended up with a house full of stuff and no idea what things cost, how much essentials should cost or how much we could live on.
Until we moved at the beginning of July 2006 to live in the country and spendmuch more time with our kids I did not know the value of food, clothes, household goods, gifts etc.
The first step I took towards understanding where our money went was to carry a small chasbook with me and I now jot down every penny that is spent, what it is spent on and where. This then gives me valuable data as to what is essential spending and what could have been saved. It helped me to set weekly budgets for food, petrol, pharmacy items, kids clothing etc.
The cashbook is used at the end of the week and the data is collated into our familys financial spreadsheet as actual spendings against the predicted.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I’ve been looking for a cashbook at my local shops and can’t find one. Did you make yours? Can you recommend where you got it?