The money habit I was ashamed to admit...

In partnership with

Stay Informed, Without the Noise.

Your inbox is full of news. But how much of it is actually useful? The Daily Upside delivers sharp, insightful market analysis—without the fluff. Free, fast, and trusted by 1M+ investors. Stay ahead of the market in just a few minutes a day.

Subscribe today.

How Do We Make Sure Every Dollar Works as Hard as We Do?

Let me introduce you to my favorite budgeting method - zero-based budgeting.

Now before you run away thinking "ugh, another budgeting system," hear me out!

This isn't just any budgeting method.

Think of it like Marie Kondo, but for your money.

Instead of asking if things spark joy, you're asking each dollar what its job is!

💡 Understanding Zero-Based Budgeting

You know how when you're planning a wedding (or any big event), you assign every person a seat?

Zero-based budgeting is exactly like that, but instead of assigning seats to guests, you're assigning jobs to your dollars.

Here's the cool part - unlike traditional budgeting where you're just tracking what happened in the past (kind of like watching reruns), zero-based budgeting is all about looking forward and being proactive (like being the director of your own money movie!).

✅ Making It Work For You

Here's how I implement this in our household (and yes, even my "go with the flow" hubby has gotten on board!):

1. The Income Assignment
   

   • Write down your monthly income

   • Include EVERY source (side hustles count!)

   • Yes, even that $20 your mom sent you for your birthday
     

2. The Category Creation
   

   • List ALL your expenses

   • Don't forget those sneaky quarterly bills

   • Create specific categories for your goals

   • Leave room for fun money (because life's too short!)
     

3. The Dollar Job Fair
   

   • Give every single dollar a specific job

   • Keep going until you reach zero

   • Adjust as needed (life happens!)

🚫 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Trust me, I've made ALL these mistakes so you don't have to:

• Forgetting irregular expenses (Hello, annual car registration!)

• Not leaving wiggle room for fun

• Making it too complicated (I once had 47 categories - don't be like past Ren!)

To help you streamline this, I actually have an amazing range of budgets that include this method. You can check out my Ultimate Annual Budget on Etsy Here.

💫 Success Stories

Let me share how this changed everything for us.

Remember that Japan trip I mentioned? Zero-based budgeting is what made it possible.

By giving every dollar a job, including "future travel fund," we were able to save up without feeling deprived.

And it's not just us!

One of my customers, Sarah, used this method to save for her dream home deposit in just 18 months - something she thought would take 5 years!

Go check out your Ultimate Annual Budget range here.

💭 Final Thoughts

Here's the thing about zero-based budgeting - it's not about restriction.

It's about intention.

It's about making your money work as hard as you do (and maybe even harder!).

Think of it this way - you wouldn't hire employees and not give them specific jobs, right?

So why would you let your money just hang around without a purpose?

To your financial success (and purposeful dollars!),

Ren

P.S. If you want to make zero-based budgeting super easy, check out my Ultimate Annual Budget. It's helping thousands of people give their dollars purpose, and it might be just what you need too!