Ask the Experts: How Do I Make a Budget?
A few good resources for money management from Impact Lab finance experts
Some people live and breathe spreadsheets. Maybe that’s you — balancing your business checkbook gives you a rush of dopamine, and you love the feeling of knowing where each and every one of your dollars goes.
Or maybe you’re just not a “numbers person.” Unexpected expenses come up all the time, and you hate feeling restricted — you’d prefer to keep track of things in your head as you go.
Regardless of your relationship with finances, there are tools out there to help you.
We asked our fractional financial experts (Carolynn, Pat, and Jeff) to share their favorite budgeting-related resources to help you keep track of your money.
This well-known resource, recommended by Carolynn, has a wealth of free information on all things finance, from budgeting to small business financing and more. Bonus tip: Sign up for their email newsletter, which provides personalized recommendations and will get you thinking about finance in a more comprehensive way!
Mint (both in app and website form) is another Carolynn recommendation. This budgeting tool provides visibility on how much you spend each month. With a paid subscription, you can connect Mint to your bank account so you can automatically see each transaction and how it fits into your budget categories.
After you’ve added the practical skill of categorizing your personal expenses to your toolbelt, you can also gain great skills for business accounting and the groundwork to be comfortable with Quickbooks or other accounting softwares.
Sarah Wilson, AKA “The Budget Girl,” uses her YouTube channel to share tips on paying off debt and saving money in a fun and personable way. Carolynn loves sending this resource to those who are new to budgeting and might be approaching it with dread or uncomfortability (spontaneous spenders, you might want to check this one out).
CFO Pat says this is his favorite finance book of all time.
“The lessons are timeless and it provides an easy-to-follow path to success,” Pat says.
Ok, so this isn’t 100% budget-adjacent — but this podcast, recommended by our CFO Jeff, is well worth the listen. It features interviews with successful people across various industries, giving you the inspiration and encouragement you need to take control of the future of your business.
Ready to give budgeting a try, or ready to up-level your money skills?
Check out one of the above resources, and let us know what you think!
Want to keep the inspiration going? Read more success stories.
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