The One Budgeting Tip That Really Made A Difference For Me
An easy tip for beginner budgeters
Last year, we suddenly fell back to one income right as we were building our tiny house.
This was a stressful situation that called for some budgeting. I started reading finance books, listening to podcasts, and following finance YouTubers — as you do, of course, when life presents you with a challenging situation.
During this learning, I came across one tip that really made a difference for me.
The no-buy list
Or at least, that’s what I called it.
When I initially came across the idea I believe it was actually called a “buy-later” list, and that’s also how it started out for me.
The idea is very simple: you start a list somewhere (I used Google Keep because it’s easily accessible on all my devices), and on this list, you write down all the items that you’re considering buying. The items on this list need to remain there for at least 14 days (or another arbitrary time chosen by you) before you are allowed to buy them.
Note, you’re not actually putting any restrictions on yourself: after 14 days, you are allowed to buy the item.
Why it works
