We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Is fear holding you back from taking control of your money?
Do you often feel like you should be budgeting but the thought of actually doing it scares you? You might be afraid of what people around you will think or maybe you fear it will make you look broke or even cheap. Or maybe you fear it’s way too complicated and far too much work for the payoff you will actually receive.
Or maybe you just think you could never be happy living on a budget, forever.
Whatever it is, the fear of starting a budget is a very real experience for a lot of people. In fact, we often do whatever we have to do to avoid it, so much so it eventually leads us into debt.
and honestly how liberating can debt really be?
These 4 common fears for starting a budget are what holds so many people back from living a life of freedom.
You Fear It Will Be Too Restrictive
No one likes to be told what to do especially when it comes to their money. On the outside budgeting can feel super controlling and boring. The thought can feel mentally exhausting that you will forever be stuck in the never-ending rat race of always saving and never spending.
But guess what?
Having a budget doesn’t mean you will never be able to enjoy money in fact, budgeting makes spending money much more enjoyable because you are able to do so without worry. You no longer have to choose between buying that outfit at the mall or paying your electric bill. You can have it all. Budgeting gives you permission to spend on the things that are important to you not a restriction from it.
You Fear It Will Make You Look Broke
No one wants to look like they don’t have money even if they really don’t. But want to know something crazy?
Budgets aren’t just for broke people.
Budgeting actually has nothing to do with being cheap or not having money. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you make. As long as you have an income you need a budget. If anything you will actually find yourself with MORE money because all the little pennies that slipped through the cracks here and there will finally be brought to your attention.
You Fear It Will Be Too Much Work/Complicated
Wouldn’t it be cool if budgets could be a set it and forget it type thing? While it isn’t as easy as throwing something in the crockpot and coming back 8 hours later creating a budget doesn’t have to be a super complicated or time consuming task either.
Spreadsheets intimidate a lot of people and I’m over here with my hands in the air because I was definitely one of those people. I had watched countless hours of excel tutorials for the “perfect budget” and it didn’t matter if I had watched 100 more because honestly I just suck at using excel. It never felt natural to me and if anything it made me feel more annoyed and frustrated rather than inspired and motivated.
Spreadsheets don’t have to be your thing either.
A budget can be done on anything. Seriously, if you really wanted to I’m sure you could swing it on the back of a cardboard box. My personal favorite is this budget template from Every Dollar. Not only is it free but its insanely simple which is excellent for beginners. It was created by Dave Ramsey so it follows his zero-based budget principles (which works amazing by the way). You don’t even need to be good with numbers because it helps to keep track of everything for you. It’s definitely worth giving a try!
If you want to keep it off the computer you could also create a basic budget on paper or in a journal/monthly planner. The key is, however you decide to do your budget that its something that isn’t confusing to you and in fact helps motivate you.
If you need extra help with what exactly you should have in your budget be sure to check out my list of budget categories HERE.
You Fear You Will Be Made Fun Of
Keepin’ up with Joneses is a very real thing and having a budget at times can feel like the adult equivalent of being on an allowance. You suddenly start to become hyper-aware of everyone around you and you wonder what they will think if they find out.
I honestly think at times this can be more difficult for our husbands. This was one of the biggest hang-ups with my own husband in the beginning. He loved to spend and not only spend but he loved the spontaneity of it.
When he started bringing in his lunch to work and stopped going out with his coworkers every day people starting noticing. The guys would poke fun and mention how he was put on an “allowance”. As if he was a child who didn’t have a say so. Even though he could see the bigger picture it didn’t make it any less embarrassing.
The thing is not everyone is going to “get it”. There will always be someone who will have something to say and sometimes it can even be the people closest to us. But if we wait until its acceptable to everyone around us we will forever be stuck. We can’t base our financial decisions off of other peoples thoughts.
What fears hold you back from taking control of your money?
Want to remember this? Share this to your favorite Pinterest Board!
