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Kalyn Brooke

Simple Solutions to Manage Everyday Life

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The Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting Series

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This budgeting for beginners series will walk you through the process of creating your first budget, step-by-step. Also includes free printables!

Ditch expensive software and learn how to create a simple budget from scratch. This Beginner's Guide to Budgeting series will hold your hand along the way, and includes FREE printables! #budgetingtips #howtobudget #budgetinghacks #budgetingprintables #budgetingforbeginners


Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting Series! If you are just starting your financial journey, or just wanting to learn how to manage money better, I encourage you to follow along and try my personal {and simple!} budgeting system.

There’s no need to buy expensive software. In the following posts, you will learn how to start a budget completely from scratch, and each post includes free printables to help you along the way. All you need is a willing and can-do attitude!

Because I want this experience to be life changing, if you go through this series, and something isn’t quite clear, please email kalynbrooke{at}creativesavingsblog{dot}com with any questions, and I’ll help you out!

Part 1: Why You Need a Budget…Yes, YOU!

Part 2: How to Track Your Income

Part 3: How to Track Your Expenses

Part 4: Building Your First Budget

Part 5: Create Your Own Money Management System

Part 6: I Have A Budget, Now What?

Part 7: How to Budget on Irregular Income

Part 8: Taking Your Budget to the Next Level

Budgeting FAQ

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Comments

  1. Katie says

    March 2 at 8:15 pm

    So excited to read all the posts in this series!

    Reply
  2. lori says

    March 5 at 3:07 pm

    LOVE your blog! I’ve just recently closed a business and unfortunatly have some left-over debt hanging over my head. So excited to get this plan going! Can you tell me when you will post the next segment, “Setting up your budget”?

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      March 6 at 9:47 pm

      Thank you, Lori! Closing a business is hard – I have done that before {at a loss, no less.} You will come out of it! As for the Setting Up Your Budget post, I have that scheduled for Wednesday, March 19th. 🙂

      Reply
  3. jennifer says

    December 2 at 5:46 pm

    Great ideas, the cost of eggs have skyrocketed in NY and since I bake often its been getting expensive. Love your ideas and website. Keep up the great posts.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      December 10 at 4:54 pm

      Thanks Jennifer. Eggs are crazy right now! Down here in FL all our dairy products seem to be getting more pricey too. Christmas cookies are going to be a touch more expensive to make this year for sure.

      Reply
  4. Genesis Steinline says

    December 17 at 11:20 pm

    Love the information I greatly appreciate it, do you happen to have a tracker on Google docs or sheets? I cannot afford excel.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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👩‍💻 | I help value-driven women lead manageable + meaningful lives.
💬 | INFJ / Enneagram 1
🚙 | RV Life @openroading
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Kalyn Brooke | Virtual BFF


Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
⁣
Sadly, I find m

Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
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Sadly, I find most people resist minimalism because they can't wrap their head around "having less." People tend to equate this movement with blank walls, white IKEA furniture, and decluttering everything in your home down to practically nothing so you can live full-time in an RV. Like me. 😉⁣
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But, while minimalism could be all that, this mindset misses the point. Minimalism is not only about “having less.” 🚫⁣
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It’s so much more than that.⁣
⁣
This week on the blog, I'm sharing the REAL definition of minimalism (that people who love their stuff can totally get behind!) as well as practical ways to incorporate minimalism into your life. 🎉⁣
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Drop a heart emoji in the comments below and I'll send the link to your DM's! 💖

I love lazy Saturday mornings…as long as I have
I love lazy Saturday mornings...as long as I have a book and a cozy blanket! 😍

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣
⁣
“I’ve been thinking about what tech boundaries I want to instill, including boundaries related to work and productivity. I’ve become less careful about my media consumption, and it’s having a negative affect on my mental health.” 💞⁣
⁣
Have you ever felt a similar tug? ⁣
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I can’t begin to tell you how many times I pick up my phone because I’m bored or lonely or jealous or unhappy. It almost always makes me feel worse. And yet...I struggle to stop. 😝⁣
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Here are the ideas I’ve been trying this month and I’m already seeing a positive effect:⁣
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➕ No logging into social media after 8pm. I need to wind down for the night, not get lost in my phone! 📲⁣
➕ Open Instagram with a purpose—either to post or to interact. Stop endlessly scrolling.⁣
➕ My only screen time before 9am should be for Bible Study apps or News. 🗞⁣
➕ Turn my phone on Do Not Disturb during Tiger Time (when I need the most focus for work) 💪⁣
➕ Work no more than 4 hours on my business per day. If a task isn’t complete, push it to the next day. This time frame has really helped me prioritize! 💻⁣
➕ Watch one show per day (or two if they are short!) and leave movies for the weekend. 📺⁣
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What tech boundaries have you set up? Are any new as of this year? I’d love to hear your ideas! 😃

What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣
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You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣
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See, we’re all different! ⁣
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Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣
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Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣
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What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣
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But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣
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As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣
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Why? ⁣
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No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣
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And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣
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There are too many good ones out there anyway.  Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣
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This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣
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Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣
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What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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T

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣
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1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣
2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣
3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣
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That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣
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What planners/journals are you using for 2021?


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