20 Budgeting Tips for Saving Money and Avoiding Debt — Debt.com

Learning how to budget so you can achieve your goals in the fastest and easiest way possible.

Budgeting often gets a bad rap for being tremendous hassle. But maintaining a household budget is the best way to avoid debt problems, save money consistently and achieve your goals. What’s more, budgeting doesn’t need to be a tedious! With the right strategy, you can maintain an accurate household budget without a lot of work. These twenty budgeting tips can help you get started.

Note: The tips in this section support building a budget using the method we describe on How to Create a Budget and Stick to It. If you have not built a formal budget, we recommend starting there first. Then you can come back and use these tips to refine your budgeting strategy.

#1: Budget for the income you receive, not what you’re supposed to get

This budgeting tips is important, especially if you receive income from things like alimony or child support. If your ex doesn’t pay what they’re supposed to pay, then it can throw off your budget. You can’t depend on that money to cover expenses if isn’t consistent. So, you need to budget for what you actually receive.