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Finances. They’re something that we all have to deal with at some point in our lives. However, many of us may not necessarily like dealing with money or, may not know how to properly manage it. One thing in particular many of us deal with is keeping an eye on our spending. This is why these bullet journal expense tracker ideas will help you a lot!
A little back story
I used to be exactly like this too. I avoided doing anything about my money. I knew what my monthly income was. I even knew what my bills cost every month and I paid them diligently. However, beyond this, I never paid much attention to anything else. It all just seemed too daunting.
I would get budget apps and fall off that bandwagon by the second week of using them.
I would get budget printables that worked fine at first, but, I would start misplacing them too. Then ultimately I would forget about them altogether.
However since I’ve started using my billet journal, I’ve gotten more and more interested in budgeting and keeping up to date with my finances.
I’m not sure if this is because I’m more ….. doing it in a notebook where I can easily access everything. Or if it’s because my bullet journal to me symbolizes me taking control of my life…by extension my money.
Or I’m not sure if it is because I just enjoy making the beautiful finance spreads that are floating over the interest.
But, tracking my expenses in my bullet journal works and I’m sure it will work for you too.
What is a bullet journal expense tracker?
A bullet journal expense tracker is a simple page in your bullet journal where you write down and track things like how much money you spend when you spend that money, and where you spent your money for a certain time period.. mainly a month. They’re done mainly on a month by month basis to get you to assess your spending habits.
So, if you find that you spend a lot of money every month that you could be put to better use, an expense tracker can help you.
Once you start keeping track of your expenses, there is no more guesswork about what you do with your money every month. It’ll be all there for you to see. You can then decide whether you need to improve your spending or if you’re on the right track.
Tracking your spending in your bullet journal
There are a lot of other ways to track your spending. You can use budget printables, apps, online software and so much more.
So why use a bullet journal?
It’s simple really. Since you’ve started to use your bullet journal, like me, you may have gotten the sense that you’ve finally found a place and a tool to keep you accountable for all aspects of your life.
Your expenses are no different. For me, I use my bullet journal every single day, therefore taking notes of my expenses while they’re still fresh in my mind is something that happens quite easily for me.
It could be the same way for you too!
Unlike the apps that may so foreign, your bujo might feel like the perfect place to track your money!
Bullet journal expense tracker benefits
Here are some of the most useful benefits of an expense tracker in your bullet journal:
1. First and foremost, it helps you to get a clear picture of how you’re doing money-wise every month. It’s very easy for us to underestimate just how much our spending adds up when we spend $60 here and $250 there and yet another $90 there on things we do not need.
I remember one day I went out with friends and unconsciously spent $700 frivolously without even noticing it. While I was out, I knew I was spending quite a bit, but I brushed it out of mind.
It wasn’t until I got home an updated my expense tracker that I got shocked. Needless to say, the rest of my month did not go too well and to this day, I’ve taken care not to be so careless again.
2. It lets you know exactly what is going on in your financial life. Too often, we spend money without thinking. Later on, we’re left with crippling credit card debts, family issues and loads of stress. If you want to avoid all of these issues, using a handy expenses tracker should be at the top of your list.
3. It’ll help you spend less impulsively.
How many times have you seen something this month that you’d just had to have? We all do this a little more often than we should. But, having an expense tracker will force you to think before you spend money on that item. It may not happen right ways, but eventually, once you really see how much of your money goes into spending rather than into your savings or investments every month, you’ll start thinking long and hard before you pay for these things.
4. You’ll understand your spending habits better.
Do you know where most of your money goes every month? Is it taxes, groceries, clothing, insurance?
Before using an expense tracker I assumed that most of my money went into taxes and housing. This is so because I always had a monthly budget, where I wrote my projected income and expense breakdown. But this budget was never something that way very accurate.
For some expenses, my projections were a lot lower than what was actually spent.
When I started using my bullet journal expense tracker, I noticed that the bulk of my money went into food! This shocked me because I never really understood just how much we were eating. Since starting to track my expenses, I’ve been able to consciously spend less money on food and save this money instead. I’ve been losing weight too because of it and slowly growing a nice little nest egg.
These are the reason why a bucket journal spending tracker is a good thing to have.
10 amazing bullet journal expense tracker layouts
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Bullet journal money trackers can help change your life
Taking a few minutes every day to track your spending and evaluate where and how fast your money is leaving your hands can go a long way in helping you to improve your finances.
And, an easy and convenient way to go about starting this process is by using a bullet journal expense tracker.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, (although that doesn’t hurt). It just needs to be a place where you go to pay attention to your money.
According to USA Today, the average household spends more than 90% of its income
Which means that on average although we work very hard every day, we only get to keep less than 10% of our money.
Start tracking your expenses today so that you keep more of your money every month. I’m using a bullet journal spending tracker will help you keep a lot more than 10% of your income this year!
Your future self will thank you for doing this!
Related bullet journal tracker articles:
- Bullet Journal Habit Tracker: 73 Ideas & Tips You Must Know + Free Printable
- Bullet Journal Period Tracker Ideas & Layouts To Inspire You
