Simplifying the budgeting conversation is so important when it comes to taking action on your finances.

By categorizing your monthly spending into 5 main buckets, living, giving, saving, debt, and taxes, you are already way more likely to spend wisely.

We are taught to subtract expenses from our income and save the rest. This is setting you up for failure, because it prioritized the wrong thing. It is much more effective to take out your savings and giving amounts first, then spend the left over. Granted, it’s much more scary initially, especially if you have no idea how much you spend per month. However, this method keeps the main thing (saving and giving), the main thing.