Budgeting

I just went through my bank account from Jan 1st, to today. I wanted to see where all our money was going, because I seems like we can't put money away in savings no matter how hard we try, and we're not really living within our means.

Which bugs me a lot, because for crying out loud, we live in my in-laws basement. Rent is NOT that expensive, we should be able to put money away right?

Here's what I learned:

• We eat out (either Captain Jax going out for lunch, or picking food up for us on his way home) W-A-Y too often.
• We need to pay off our debt
• We need to stop using 'extra' features on our phones (like texting)
• Besides those things, we were actually doing pretty good.

Let me tell you about my budget and how I set it up, and maybe it will help you get one. I plan for two weeks at a time. We get paid every two weeks so I plan from paycheck to paycheck. And even though it scares me a little bit, I'm going to share actual figures with you here. *deep breath*

Paycheck #1/#2
Budget amount: $600/$600

Church Offering	$75/75
Rent	$250/$0
Food	$75/$75
Gas	$50/$50
Phone	$75/$75
Captain Jax	$25/$25
Krystal	$25/$25
Debt	$25/$0
Savings	$0/$250

Actual Amount:$600/$575

This is my goal. And we're starting fresh this pay period. I'll let you know how we do.

Now, tell me about how you budget, and what works for you? Perhaps I can glean some information from you that will work for us! :)