Created and Kept a Budget
Created and Kept a Budget
We started making our budget to set money aside for when my husband leaves the military and we move back home. We started saving about 18 months prior to my husband considering the transition to civilian life. This will help the transition of finding a place and making sure we have enough to cover bills while he’s looking for civilian employment.
Our budget has all of our current expenses as well as any expenses that we think can be cut and instead put into savings each month! Making the budget was simple, but we did find that sticking to it can be difficult at times! We ended up using cash envelopes to really help us stay on track and not go over budget.
MilSpouse Money
Mission Response:
Love this picture and thank you for sharing! This is proof that you don’t need a fancy app or tool to help you budget. Putting pen to paper can be just as helpful. The trick is finding what works for you and then actually doing it. To your point, creating the plan is one thing…sticking to it takes commitment. It was wise to start planning ahead for your husband’s transition from the military. This can be a huge change for your family, so you’re smart to get started! Sounds like you’re moving back home, and although it might be familiar, be sure to do your homework as things change and the cost of living may be different than when you were there before.
For others planning the transition from military to civilian life, we have a whole section dedicated to you with many financial tips. Visit Transition to get started!
And for those wanting to put together or update your budget, check out this sample worksheet to get started. We have that and a lot more information on budgeting in our Money Ready 101 Budget section.
