Bare Bones Budget Template: Fill & Download for Free

This is a great question. There are a number of strategies you can implement:My number 1 strategy is develop a budget template spreadsheet/s. Basically because I used to undertake casual work, I had 2 budgets: the Bare Bones budget and the Basic budget. Hence, depending on how much I earned for the week I would allocate as per the budget I selected. Then I also had a spreadsheet to track the amounts over time with running totals for the various bank accounts which also included an overall total of all accounts. This way I could see my savings grow each and every week. If you would like to download a free, no strings attached budget template head on over to https://reitrementhacks.comI also set up the direct debits and automatic transfers to and from various accounts so I didn’t have to worry and simply with each transfer recorded in my running financial spreadsheet, so the balances to the bank account are correct. Whilst not completely hands off, it sure helps. This also gives increased peace of mind that all relevant living expenses are being paid for via cash rather than via credit card.Another aspect is even if I only earn 1 cent of bank interest on a savings account, I love the fact that the bank is paying me rather than me paying the bank!So over to you. Remember those small amounts do add up over time and you have a real opportunity to watch your savings grow.To Your Continued Success.

When you’re working on a budget, of course you want tools that work well and are affordable. Equally important, however, is that the tools work well with each other. It’ll save you time and money if you don’t have to build integrations and figure out how to make everything work.With that in mind, here are the tools I used when I had a limited budget:Insightly: a bare-bones (but cheap!) CRM. Does what it needs to do, but unlike the other tools on this list, you’ll likely outgrow it as your company matures.Dux-Soup: Great for prospecting people on LinkedIn. Pulls hundreds of profiles quickly and painlessly.MailChimp/Reply: MailChimp is better for newsletters, Reply is better for full campaigns. Both of them handle the load of emailing a ton of people very well, it’s easy to build templates and get the campaigns out the door. MailChimp is free up to a certain point, and Reply is quite cost-effective.RocketBolt: Outstanding lead tracking platform, and very easy to use. Sends me daily ranked lists of my most interested, engaged leads. By focusing my sales efforts on these engaged leads, I started closing more deals almost immediately.Join.me: Serviceable screenshare app. It’s not the best I’ve ever seen, but it’s good in that it doesn’t make your prospect download an app onto their computer. I like that there’s a free option, too.Zapier: The glue that makes my stack work. I’m not a developer, and even I can use Zapier to integrate my tools together in really exciting ways.Here’s the thing… except for Insightly, I still use these tools, even though my budget is now much larger! When you find tools that you like and that do the job, why switch?

Interesting question. Sad that at 28 years you feel your finances are in such a state that this is mentally and emotionally breaking you. Okay so what to doFirst thing is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and understand that you can indeed start again. You are 28 and have a full life ahead of you. So you do in fact have time on your side.Okay, I’m not going to say that this is going to be easy. There will for the time being be some rocky times ahead that you will need to navigate. But navigate you can.You don’t say how much of a financial mess you are currently in, so I’m going to make some assumptions here. Bear in mind they are only assumptions. Only you know your current financial circumstances. So it is a matter of implementing some strategies regardless of the finances that will help you navigate and put you into a more solid financial situation for the future.Step 1: Purchase the 2 books by Scott Pape: Barefoot Investor and Barefoot Investor for Families. Now avoid worrying. These 2 books are not about investing in stocks and shares as such. They are more about providing you with simple strategies to implement to manage your finances.Implement the strategies as if your life does depend on it. The second book is more about how to assist your children, if you have any, to be more financially literate. So whilst this book is not a requirement if you do not have any children at this stage, it is still a good and easy read. And, you never know, something in this book may gel with you.Step 2: Either Cut up the Credit Card/s or take them out of your purse/wallet so they are not in every day use. I’m making an assumption here, that you have racked up credit card debt/s of some sort. So, it is now important that you cease and desist from racking up further debt. And, the only way to do this, is not use your credit card/s at all, whilst you are paying down the debt/s.Depending on the size of your credit card debt, you may be able to approach the credit card provider and ask to pay back the debt under their hardship clause. Or at least negotiate with the provider a repayment plan.Step 3: Develop a bare bones budget. Normally I recommend 2 budgets. A bare bones budget and a realistic future budget of where you want your finances to be in the future. However, for the time being: simply develop the bare bones budget. This budget sees you meeting all expenses plus having some money for savings. Hence your expenses must be less than your income. Even if you only have $5 for savings, then you save this $5.Why? Because you need to develop an emergency fund of some description, in case something in your life goes pear shaped down the track. This is the savings you do not touch unless there is a life emergency.You also need to develop some general savings to help you not only get into the savings habit but have for more general use down the track.So, if possible, your savings plan needs to include these 2 types of savings accounts, regardless of how small the amount you save each pay day is.If you want a budget template, head on over to: Best Hacks for Retirement and download the free, no strings attached budget template to use.Avoid worrying. Developing a budget of any description is a process and it could take a number of efforts to develop your bare bones budget. Just stick to it and eventually you’ll be able to develop a budget that you can implement consistently.As part of this process, review all your expenses to ascertain whether you are still receiving the best deals possible. If not, determine whether to switch to a more cost effective plan or whether the exit fees are too high. If the latter mark these items for review down the track.Budgets are like money. They’re never static. So ensure you regularly review your budget and update as life determines.Step 4: Obtain at least 1 debit card. This card is to place all your living expenses where a direct debit is required, i.e. internet, mobile etc. (If you already have one all the better.) Basically each pay day according to your budget you transfer an amount on this debit card in order to meet these expenses. What is preferable is that you have at least 1 fortnight worth of expense payments in advance on this debit card. Why? Because very rarely, if ever, do all the monthly expenses fall due on the same date each month. So you need to ensure you can always meet these expenses and not incur overdrawn fees.What you are doing here is effectively meeting your monthly expenses via cash rather than credit. This strategy alone will assist to give you peace of mind.Again this is a process and could take you up to 6 - 8 weeks to transfer everything across.Avoid thinking you will remember to transfer the money as the bill arrives, because this is a sure fire way to incur overdrawn fees. Rather, seek to transfer the break down of all expenses total according to your pay day, i.e. weekly/fortnightly etc. and transfer this amount each and every pay day.You can even include your annual expenses if you like. However, it would be better to place the breakdown total for your annual expenses into a savings account so you can earn a bit of interest at the same time, until the expense/s fall due.Step 5: Pay down debts using the Snowball strategy. What this means is you review all your debts and decide which 1 you are going to pay off first, whilst still meeting the monthly repayments for the others. Some people take the smallest debt to entirely pay off first. Others choose the debt with the highest interest rate. The debt you decide to pay off first is entirely up to you.Basically the strategy is that you repay an additional amount to the debt chosen above your monthly repayments in order to repay the debt faster. So again, if you can only afford $5 extra repayment, then $5 it is. Gradually over time, the debt will be repaid.Once this debt is fully repaid, you take the repayments amount (including the extra you paid) and use this as extra repayments to the second debt, until this is paid. And continue this method until all debts are repaid.Once all debts are repaid, then you take the amount of the repayments to the last debt you paid out and place this into savings, which will see your savings grow faster over time.In Conclusion:Remember: Rome was not built in a day. So it is with getting out of debt. You can do this. like many others before you - as long as you implement all relevant strategies consistently. Kind of like keep placing 1 foot after another.Regardless of how small your savings amounts are, they will indeed build up over time. So avoid being disheartened on the length of time or how small the amount/s are. You will be amazed just how quickly time will pass.You’ve got this.To Your Continued Success.