Wealth

Think of a budget as just another list.

It’s most efficient to build a budget on a spreadsheet somewhere — whether it’s Microsoft Excel or a Google doc. Add your income and then add new expenses as you spend.

And those new expenses will surely pop up. Try to do as much planning as you can for occasional costs, such as presents for the holidays, or that getaway you plan every year — or the unexpected doctor appointment.

The more you track your spending and keep an eye on it, the better you’ll get at understanding your expenses month to month.

Watch this video for a step-by-step guide to making a budget that will work for you.

More from Invest in You:
Retirement is expensive – here’s how much you really need to save for it
Here’s how to invest your money if you are saving for your next vacation
Here’s how you can save $500,000 for retirement on an annual salary of $35,000

SIGN UP: Money 101 is an 8-week learning course to financial freedom, delivered weekly to your inbox. For the Spanish version, Dinero 101, click here.

CHECK OUT: This teen got nearly 100 classmates to join an investing club and collected $120,000: Here are his top tips for getting started with Acorns+CNBC

Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.

Articles You May Like

Op-ed: Investing lessons from a baseball card collector. Diversify to find the all-stars
How new grads can land a job after college, even as employers cut back on Class of 2024 hires
Refinancing student debt is risky amid Biden forgiveness push. Borrowers ‘forever lose access’ to safety nets, advocates say
Nvidia and 2 other portfolio stocks report earnings next week. Here’s what we want to see from each
Here are the portfolio’s top 5 performers in a record-setting week for stocks