Tonight is Budget Night

Birch and I go over our budget every year. We're pretty good about planning our budget and adequate at following our budget throughout the year. This year we're deciding on some changes and discussing some issues we've had in the past:

• Switching to nearly exclusive use of cash
• How much to put into savings each month
• Which denomination of bill/coin we will never spend and put into a jar instead for extra savings
• Which credit card to pay extra on each month
• Basic priorities when it comes to keeping each of us sane (and how money plays into it)

We've been a bit haphazard about budget planning so far in our marriage so I'm hoping this year we can have a bit more routine to it. Our initial meeting each month will be the longest. Then we'll have quick check-in's each week throughout the month to make sure we're staying on target or to discuss something that has been too difficult. 

We're hoping to accomplish a few things this year, but I think we're both stressed as to how we'll afford them all:

• Fence up an area of the yard to keep the chickens
• Vegetable and flower garden
• Duck enclosure in the garden
• Kitchen storage
• Buy a somewhat new car (!!)
• Family visiting from the UK (!!)
• Family road trip to Utah (!!)

Looking at it all, it stresses me out. We can do it, though. What do you do to help yourself stay within your budget? Do you use envelopes or jars? Do you make it super difficult to get to your savings account money? 

What do you tend to break your budget over? Clothes? House decorations? Groceries?

I'll let you know how tonight goes... we're trying it a different way than usual. Should be interesting. And yeah, those last three things we're doing this year: non-negotiable and really exciting!