The people saying that you need to pay your debt and just focus on that have no idea. You never put all your eggs into one basket. You can pay your debt and save at the same time. Be smart with your money people.
Exactly. Before I started paying my student loans I had at least 3 months of emergency saved. I just didn't feel comfortable having everything go to debt and having only $1,000.
I completely understand where you are coming from. My job sent everyone an email on 1/19/2024 and lay off 1689 people. Been working on that job for over 3 years and also LOVED it. Luckily I had some savings and got some unemployment. I have been having to pull from my savings each month to add to umemployment to maintain my bills.I am starting a new job making a little more starting June 15th and I will definitely work on building back up my 3 month ahead fund. It literally saved my life.
I got one month ahead by calculating EVERY bill and working out what it is annually (plus added a little buffer). Then dividing that total amount by 26 because I'm paid fortnightly (bi-weekly) and that's what goes into my bill account. So then when bills come in whether it's a monthly, quarterly or yearly bill, the money is already saved. That account is for bills and absolutely nothing else. Because of the buffer, the account is growing a little too. Jazmine, keep it up girl. You're an inspiration and you've got this!!
I do the same- then set everything on auto pay. Auto transfer each pay day. Auto pay bills. And ask for balanced billing on utilities if it is available so it is a predictable amount.
I’m taking this is a warning. I have been thinking, as I work to pay off debt, that I also need savings/sinking funds. If you put ALL your money into paying off debt, that’s great, until an emergency happens. You will just need to go back to credit cards! So I am slowing down on paying debt while I save up some cash in the bank in case anything hits the fan!
Hey Girl Hey, So when I initially started my One Month Ahead journey I was calculating my bills as you just did. However, I quickly realized that wouldn't work. One Month Ahead is not on bills as emergency funds are. It's really One Month Ahead of your Monthly Income. So take a look at 3months of your average income and make a plan to save that instead 😉
What I did is I calculated how much it takes to maintain my household, added a bit extra, and divided the total amount in half since I'm paid biweekly. Then I set my direct deposit to deposit into 3 accounts, bills (which are on autopay), food+toilettries, and spending money. That way it's automatic. I tteat my savings as another bill and so that amount automatically gets transferred to a HYSA.
I pay myself first and last. Savings come out by standing order at the beginning of the month, along with bills. Anything left at the end of the month also goes into savings, as a manual transfer. I don't notice the standing order going out so it's painless and I get a feeling of satisfaction when I have anything left at the end of the month, which encourages me not to waste money.
Hey bestie. As someone who has multiple illnesses and I am afraid of what the future holds for my state of health, i am totally on board with savings for rainy days/months ahead/year ahead. Take it from someone who has lost hear health in her 30s. You never know what's going to happen. Accidents happen. Cancer happens. Losing jobs. I dont want to put fear into people, but it's real smart to do this for yourself and family. Life is tough when your down and out and broke. Happy savings Fams ❤
Sending continued healing and blessings to you Bestie 💜 Thank you for sharing your story. I believe this is sooo helpful to hear. We hear so much about do this and do that but at the end of the day we all have to do what is best for us and your story is a real life story. We never know what may happen in this lifetime so we try to be as prepared as possible just like having insurance....
Hopefully you'll have some kind of health breakthrough that turns everything back around. A combination of illnesses and disabilities destroyed my health in my 20s but as they managed to diagnose and treat each condition my health has dramatically improved. I'm still chronically ill and disabled but I can work now so my life has significantly improved from my lowest point.
I’m going to take each bill/category and putting them in order smallest to largest. Every month I’ll take out $5 for each category. I’ll keep flitting $5 in each category until the smallest is fully funded, then I’ll fill them all snowball style.
We are currently one/two months ahead. We didn’t pay off all our debt first either. However, beginning in September my income will be cut in half. Husband’s pay covers bills and most expenses so I’m looking for side hustle so our sinking funds and savings don’t suffer. You do you; your income, your life, your journey.
I know you can do it.i have been saving for a while save what you can every time you get paid don't beat yourself up start it slow it will eventually pay off.❤❤
Try selling stuff online (like Facebook marketplace) and whatever you make, save half (assuming you'll use the other half towards bills, food etc). I'm currently unemployed, due to illness, my husband pays our bills & this is what I do and it's quickly adding up.
Go sister go! Save that money however you need, to best support yourself and your goals! I’ve got $3k in savings and I’m now working on sinking funds. I’m still putting $100/month in that savings, because I’m like you; I gotta take care of myself. 😊
Any money you are not currently using should be put into a HYSA (not an envelope you keep at home) so that when you meet your goal & are no longer adding to that particular fund, it is gaining you additional money (high interest). For example, I met my 1 month ahead goal, so now I'm working towards my 3-6 month emergency ... unless I touch my 1 month ahead, it is gaining interest and making additional money for me while I pour into my next goal account. Just a thought.
I am so glad that I started saving to be a month ahead. I left a job and after being 2 weeks without before finding a new job, I had to dip into that fund to pay for my June bills! It's definitely a good fund to have.
You are so correct on having that liquid cash to live. I’ve been there before….paid off debt to clear it up, lost my job and then relied on my cards to live. Then I had no more cash and back in debt again 😞 I am trying hard to pay off debt but I’m thinking of putting a hold on it until i can save enough to be one month ahead on the “four walls”.
You can always open a HYSA. I use Ally, they hv no minimum amount, no fees, and 10 transactions a month are allowed. I have mine linked to my bill account. The transfer time is approx 2-3days. I using the method of saving 3mos of living expenses, but your method is something to think about.
Thanks for this video! 'One month ahead' is one of my sinking funds I'm working on. For me it is every monthly expense & one month spending. The difference for me is that I don't intend to cycle it out to bills. Once fully funded, that will stay cash at home in my safe.
This is what I finally settled on after being so confused about what people mean when they say “one month ahead.” Some of the explanations sounded like people are just making sure to set aside money from the paycheck(s) leading up to the bill due dates so they are able to pay them on time. Shuffling money around just to shuffle it is a distraction. I opened a new high yield savings account for the one month ahead.
Hey Bestie! I decided to keep that private because I share so much. I also have people who follow me who knows me personally and I don’t want everyone knowing everything. My mortgage/Tithes/and offering I want to keep private and personal. Those were my thoughts.
Your videos are so inspiring, I just lost my job because I was assaulted by my ex and hospitalized for 5 months, I’ve been struggling to find a new job since I was cleared to work 2 weeks ago. I’m hoping to get to a point where i can sell my digital planner and sheets, because i have 2 kiddos i need to support, and unfortunately i cant even get help from the government. Seeing you and your journey has helped me feel like i can get through this, cause i know you can and will.
I saved 3 months ahead. Of course I’ve had to tweak it and add if I have another bill or if there was any increases. I keep mine in a HYSA for if I loose my income. That is what I thought would work best for me. I think it’s great that you’re teaching by doing.
Congratulations on your journey. I was relieved to hear you mention that you will also have an emergency fund. I stress the importance of that because things pop up that can clear out one month of expenses.
I started back doing one month ahead in March or April and I love this method! I had a hiccup in May though and I’m trying to figure out where I overspent 😅 but overall, it feels much more comfortable this way. I had a delay in my paycheck in May and I’m glad I wasn’t depending on that check to pay my due bills 🙌🏾 it’s definitely a journey though! I realized this time around that my month isn’t going to be the 1st to the 1st, and that’s ok. It’ll probably be like the 25th to the 25th. That’s why budgets are personal 🫶🏾 I love following your money journey! It’s perfect for all the people to understand how to make their budgets work for them ❤
I'm a one income gal myself! I couldn't agree more. I have less than $5k in debt. I'm back on my savings journey. My savings and security is more important💯
Change banks if you have fees. Your bank is using your money. They should not be charging you to use your own money. Put your savings in a different bank than your checking account. This gives you two sources of credit if a huge emergency pops up. But it also keeps you from withdrawing money from your savings bcuz its not easy. You would have to drive to another bank/credit union. Some credit unions are a lot better places to put your money. Usually less rules and a bigger interest rate for savings. Check around, and choose wisely.
I want to thank you for sharing your financial journey and tips with the world. I have been using 2024 to educate myself and have been getting my mind right in changing my finances in many ways. I love this idea and going to go about this next. Bingeing your content right now. It helps to see someone who I can see myself in. Thank you again.
I got a month ahead last year by taking a pause in extra debt payments. It has been a total game changer to use all the money made this month to assign to next month’s budget. After I complete paying off debt in September 🤞🏽, I will be filling out some sinking funds, getting another month ahead on bills only (not the full month), an extra month of income replacement (making it 2 months + 1.5 months ahead). I will then lower the income replacement priority while I save for a kitchen renovation and a big vacation in 2026. The long term goal is for my income replacement fund to be 6 months + 1.5 months ahead. YNAB makes it easy for me to focus on funding the categories and seeing my progress. 🙌🏽 Also, while I’m a month ahead in my budget, I do use the current month’s influx into my checking account to pay my bills. I may need to transfer money from my sinking funds savings to cover some payments, but I try to keep as much as possible in my HYSA.
I had the same thing happen to me in 2008. Was up for a raise at my job of 8 years. Got called into the office for what I thought would be good news, only to be laid off. It was awful. Only got 1 month of "severance pay" and found out I was pregnant with my second son 2 days later! I couldn't make this up lol
I had been making a phenomenal amt for me We were literally going out for Turkey Day Beg of Nov my hrs were cut in half No way could I justify eating out ever again till my income greatly increased! Let alone a holiday meal. It was a sad holiday with little extra for dinner. Just thankful we were eating. Last yr I was making about same (accounting for inflation) and was so relieved to be bringing in actual money. Got injured n lost my job becuz of it. PAIN for monthsssssssss to boot. Life is hard.
Great video! I'm on the one month ahead journey also. I didn't see the white out you used in description box. I bought some from Amazon and they were trash. I need the one you use please thanks!
Hey Bestie. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you 💯 %. I too have lost a job in the past and yes it was devastating and I thought it was over. I had a husband at that time who pulled me out of the funk alone with my pastor and lots of prayers. That was 14 years ago and since then I have lost my husband and during that time I had to file for bankruptcy another devastating moment in my life since I have always paid my bill and on time. Again praying and not giving up. I too believe in saving for such a time as this. We don’t know what is ahead but God does and I want to be prepared and ready. I have another savings account that I put funds in and when I need it I’m ready to pay off or transfer the money to checking to pay off a bill. Continue to bless us with your knowledge much appreciated ❤❤
Wow... thank you for sharing that story. I just learned that the state I am in does not have to give you a reason why they lay you off... you can work there for years and then they can fire you with no warning, no reasoning🤯 Soooo glad you were able to be a testimony to yourself and others! Thank you🤍
Yup...you are right...The state that I live in is pro-employee BUT not when it comes to layoffs...Sometimes we just have to make sure that we are prepared for as much as we can be
We all have trial and error times doing something new. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to get all the information I want in my budget binder. A bill tracker for the month on one page...the inking fund constantly get changed...lol. I will get to a happy place one day🎉
It's a good thing that every month you thinking funds or your allocated funds change. Your budget is a living document if something is different this month you need to have the flexibility and the disposable cash to move things around to make it work. I make a rough budget for each month during November and December time. In the new year once the month is actually here and I'm on the current pay period I make changes based on real life. Sometimes I print pages from different people who offer budget binders and end up not using them at all because they aren't practical for my day-to-day life. I paid a majority of my bills on payday and try not to make any expenses on my debit card until the next payday. So I only end up using my binder occasionally.
Another idea is to change your w4 to single and 0 so that your employer takes more tax out of your pay. Because you claim single and zero, you will get back more money at tax time. When you do your tax , you will claim your true status. That extra money can be used to pay a debt or to start your month ahead or emergency fund. Just another idea.....
As a tax professional I would also take a certain amount as extra taxes being taken out. For example, you claim 0 and an additional $50 per pay period. If you noticed, the last two years not much taxes has been taken out even if claim as 0 because the percentage did change.
@Taxontrack Hi Friend, I am a tax professional too. Thank you for sharing. I have claim single and 0 all my life and head of household on my tax return because OF my child. This is not for everyone but for those who have a hard time saving like myself.....this helps me not oweing uncle Sam and to save money....like I said just another idea....,
@@TaxontrackGreat advice. I’ve been doing this for years. If I pick up a side hustle, I have and extra $50 taken out of that as well. I never want to owe the IRS and it’s nice to get a small stack of money at the start of spring. While I don’t save any of it. I use it to buy flowers, get my garden started and/or something for the house.
@@sjlmorgan oh no. Please reach out to your Human Resources department and put it at 0 if you can afford too. Also, you can put a dollar amount of how much you want taken out each pay period. This is additional (hope this helps)
Hey Jazmine. I have been a subscriber for a while and hardly comment except adding emojis lol. I definitely agree with what was said about saving money while paying off debt in case when unexpected situation arise then we'll have the money available.
Hello. Great video. Ask your bank again for the options to a free savings account. In addition to the minimum $300 dollars most banks also have the option of a recurring transfer from your checking account The amount could be as low as $5 dollars and any day of the month of your choosing. Good luck on your journey. Love your videos.
Sis if you have a credit union near you see if you can open an account there..only takes $5 to open and maintain savings. A basic Checking accounts normally does not require a minimum balance to carry.
Yes Credit Union is the way to go for me. No minimum balance to carry only $1 fee monthly. I have 2 checking accounts 2 savings accounts and a MM account has my high yield.
This was a great video!! So informative and I agree completely with you on having one month ahead so you don't have to rely on credit cards when things happen!!
We got word our company would be filing bankruptcy (30K lost jobs) last Aug. My team has been extremely lucky to still be working as things wind down. I don't know where we'd be if I'd lost my position immediately because we were not ready like so many others. We are tackling both debt and saving for when I'm finally done and looking for a new job. It has been an eye-opening situation, especially not having any kind of emergency fund at the time and being so unprepared. You have the knowledge and habits available to help get through this, you'll come out on top!
Yes I’m seasonal and I’m mad at myself for not saving for the summer and helping people that can’t help me jasmine that’s what happened to me but never again I’m Starting over from scratch in August
I agree with you totally you have to protect yourself when it’s only your income especially. I follow Dave Ramsey as well but I am putting more than 1000.00 away. I agree with the “ rainy day fund quote “ lol Bestie ignore the negative comments if you have to delete or block. As always thanks for the upload 😊
I actually separate my emergency funds in pretty much the same way you do. One month ahead = one month of bills that could be paid. Then your 'emergency fund' I just call my 'job loss fund', and it is in case I lose my job. And a 3rd category, what you call 'rainy day fund' I have in my budget as 'unspecified emergency'. I do additionally have sinking funds for the car and house maintenance, but this unspecified emergency is like, if I suddenly need to fly out to someone's funeral or something like that. You are very brave for being so open about finances. It's much needed.
Yes you are doing the right thing. I started by saving all one dollar bills for the yr. Which was between $1250 one yr and then $1675 the next yr. So I needed to challenge myself more and started the $5 challenge and worked my way to the 100 dlrs envelope challenge. I have completed it 2 times already. It really teaches you to be very disciplined. You will soon find yourself not wanting to go out to eat cuz you want to really finish the 100 dlrs challenge. Good luck on your journey!
Being debt free is a great goal, but before you can get focused on paying down debt, you MUST have savings and emergency funds. Life happens--your car breaks down, your hot water heater goes out, you step on a nail and have to go to the ER, your child gets sick and you have to take off a week and have no paid time to cover it. Those are emergencies and if you dont have something set aside you will just go back into debt--or worse. Along with one month's expenses saved up, I think it wise to have whatever insurance deductibles for your home/renters insurance and car insurance saved as well. If you have crazy high health insurance deductibles, you might want to have at least part of that saved back as well too. I keep mine in a high yield savings account where I can get to it easily in casse of an emergeny, but it is seperate from my other savings.
I like the way that you dilineate the emergency, one month ahead & your rainy day (crisis) funds ❤ I'm getting back into cash focus & budgeting after a bit of a chaotic 4 months.
I use to be good at this and fell off once I started making more money. I am going to go back to basics and write out everything so I can stop dipping into my savings because I pay a lot out in debt.
Absolutely you have to start with your living expenses, because whilst paying off debt if things were to take a negative turn then your situation would then move into survival mode where you couldn’t live or pay the debt off. The wheels have to keep turning people in order to pay everything. You go girl, this is something I am currently trying to do myself. Good luck on your journey and tyfs. 😊
I have set up my one month ahead. I have phone, lights and Internet fully funded for one month ahead. I will not apply the one month ahead toward the bills. I want to save it until I am at least 3 months ahead. Good luck on your journey.
Wow. In the middle of cv this happened to me. Private business sold to corporate. My retirement job done. I was aimless. Still struggling, but faithful.
Currently laid off and our stories are similar they just did a massive layoff for similar reasons. I am blessed that I was somewhat prepared now I am working on finding something else and excited that things will be different so there will be no next time
I have actually saved enough for 1 month ahead for mortgage, bills and working on variable categories. I used the snowball process so it was small wins.
Hey Besties, You keep doing you, you are an inspiration to all of us. It's hard to get back what was taken from you after a divorce. And you have to work on debt and savings to get ahead.
Your channel just popped up on my news feed. Great job going step by step and making it easy to understand how to go about planning and making financial goals. Keep up the Great work!
Mad respect for folks stuffing the cash envelopes. I would lose it, physical cash is tough for me. I do the same idea over at Betterment cash management and it's been decent, plus a little interest is nice.
uncertainty of my job is the chapter am in and am frustrated, stressed and mad all at the same time. I hate when a job knows your outcome but beats around the bush before telling you.
Even Dave Ramsey says in his baby steps that you need at LEAST $1000 emergency fund before you start paying down debt, so that you don't end up back needing to rely on loans or credit cards
I just found you and subscribed after watching this video I so want to start on getting a month ahead just haven’t been able to wrap my head around exactly how to do it. This video helped so much!
I’m sorry to hear you got laid off from your favorite job 😕 BUT: God REPLACES what gets taken away with something as good or better ❤️❤️ I agree getting at least 1 month ahead is priceless. So good on the mental health as well knowing your financially prepared for whatever ❤️🙏🏼
Your total monthly payments are literally 5x the amount of mine and I can barely apply money to my savings. And I sit my butt at home and don’t spend money. Irs needs to come up with basic plan for individuals to accumulate funds as additional revenue and add to total at end of year. If individual continues to generate revenue, then create ein business for differential liability and taxation purposes. Be like Nike and JUST DO IT!
Currently trying to get three months ahead before saving up to move out. I've come up with my goal number by calculating all my barebones necessities. I aim to save about $200 to $230 per check. From there, I do my best to stay within my budget. Every dollar I make (aside from $60 that stays in my checking account) is assigned a purpose. On my next payday, if those 60 bucks haven't been spent on Starbucks or boba, I either invest it or add it to one of my various sinking funds. I should also mention that my 3 month emergency fund is completely separate from my regular checking account. Where my every day bank charges me a monthly fee just for doing business with them, the bank where I keep my savings actually PAYS me to store my money with them. Granted, what I get back is like, 1.2% APY, but it's better than having money taken out 🤷🏽♀️
Can you do an in-depth video of the moment you got financial advice or help ..was it after the lay off you mentioned in this video? Did you search for budgeting help or did someone in your life help you to learn about financial independence
Wow! Just wow! God surely does speak and He just spoke through you. Yesterday I was thinking….I should do a video on how I learned how to budget and start my financial journey. So with THIS confirmation….Video Request coming sooner than you think! 🫶🏾
can u tell me what sz do you print off ure budget sheets from the budget mom as i always have to cut a bit of mine to fit my big happy planner. PS love your videos xx
This is an awesome video. I do this as well. Mine is like $1700 Month. For 1 month ahead. I start at the lowest expense to the highest. I'm doing pretty good. I can't find the link for the white out pens.
Hey bestie ! I love your videos. And you are literally my inspiration. I am debating where to start with saving and getting out of debt. I recently took a temporary pay cut and I am trying to get back on track with my lifestyle ! Can you link all the items you use to budget ie the budget planner (the exact one use & markers. ) I would appreciate it greatly.
I did my emergency fund the is really just 6 months expenses... but i did cut some stuff like my gas $$ if i not working wont be expeding same amount , cut few stuff too like the gym ,streams service ,amazon prime ..
The people saying that you need to pay your debt and just focus on that have no idea. You never put all your eggs into one basket. You can pay your debt and save at the same time. Be smart with your money people.
Yup...We can do both for sure...
I agree 💯 with you
Right! Have your debt paid off and then something happens and you end up back in debt because you have no savings.
Exactly. Before I started paying my student loans I had at least 3 months of emergency saved. I just didn't feel comfortable having everything go to debt and having only $1,000.
Savings are very necessary❤
I completely understand where you are coming from. My job sent everyone an email on 1/19/2024 and lay off 1689 people. Been working on that job for over 3 years and also LOVED it. Luckily I had some savings and got some unemployment. I have been having to pull from my savings each month to add to umemployment to maintain my bills.I am starting a new job making a little more starting June 15th and I will definitely work on building back up my 3 month ahead fund. It literally saved my life.
Wow! See! I’m so happy that you had savings! And congratulations on your new job!!🎉
Same I got let go with 5 kids around that time I can’t afford rent for June
Yes I agree having a saving definitely has helped me too
I'm very happy that you had some cushion to get you through hard times
Congratulations on the new job, may God bless you and your new position
I got one month ahead by calculating EVERY bill and working out what it is annually (plus added a little buffer). Then dividing that total amount by 26 because I'm paid fortnightly (bi-weekly) and that's what goes into my bill account. So then when bills come in whether it's a monthly, quarterly or yearly bill, the money is already saved. That account is for bills and absolutely nothing else. Because of the buffer, the account is growing a little too.
Jazmine, keep it up girl. You're an inspiration and you've got this!!
Oooooo I like this idea!!!!
I do the same!😊
I do the same- then set everything on auto pay. Auto transfer each pay day.
Auto pay bills.
And ask for balanced billing on utilities if it is available so it is a predictable amount.
I’m taking this is a warning. I have been thinking, as I work to pay off debt, that I also need savings/sinking funds. If you put ALL your money into paying off debt, that’s great, until an emergency happens. You will just need to go back to credit cards! So I am slowing down on paying debt while I save up some cash in the bank in case anything hits the fan!
We’re on the same page!
Ofc
That’s always step 1. 3 mos savings
Working on my one month ahead, emergency fund and 3 to to 6 months.. I am going for it all
Go For IT!!!
Me too!! We got this!!!!
Let's get into it! 1 month ahead is the goal! I hope that you enjoy this video and that it is helpful 🩷 Thank you for your support!
Hey Girl Hey, So when I initially started my One Month Ahead journey I was calculating my bills as you just did. However, I quickly realized that wouldn't work. One Month Ahead is not on bills as emergency funds are. It's really One Month Ahead of your Monthly Income. So take a look at 3months of your average income and make a plan to save that instead 😉
What I did is I calculated how much it takes to maintain my household, added a bit extra, and divided the total amount in half since I'm paid biweekly. Then I set my direct deposit to deposit into 3 accounts, bills (which are on autopay), food+toilettries, and spending money. That way it's automatic. I tteat my savings as another bill and so that amount automatically gets transferred to a HYSA.
I love this method! Thank you for sharing!
I pay myself first and last. Savings come out by standing order at the beginning of the month, along with bills. Anything left at the end of the month also goes into savings, as a manual transfer. I don't notice the standing order going out so it's painless and I get a feeling of satisfaction when I have anything left at the end of the month, which encourages me not to waste money.
Right paying off debt is important but you can’t pay for food in an emergency with money that’s already been sent to lenders!!
Hey bestie. As someone who has multiple illnesses and I am afraid of what the future holds for my state of health, i am totally on board with savings for rainy days/months ahead/year ahead. Take it from someone who has lost hear health in her 30s. You never know what's going to happen. Accidents happen. Cancer happens. Losing jobs. I dont want to put fear into people, but it's real smart to do this for yourself and family. Life is tough when your down and out and broke. Happy savings Fams ❤
Sending continued healing and blessings to you Bestie 💜 Thank you for sharing your story. I believe this is sooo helpful to hear. We hear so much about do this and do that but at the end of the day we all have to do what is best for us and your story is a real life story. We never know what may happen in this lifetime so we try to be as prepared as possible just like having insurance....
Hopefully you'll have some kind of health breakthrough that turns everything back around. A combination of illnesses and disabilities destroyed my health in my 20s but as they managed to diagnose and treat each condition my health has dramatically improved. I'm still chronically ill and disabled but I can work now so my life has significantly improved from my lowest point.
Chile do your 1 month ahead! People don’t understand that single income families are different. You have to have your plan B. Proud of you!
The $1000 emergency fund in DR plan is just a number used to start us into the saving mindset. Changing the spend spend mindset is tough.
I’m going to take each bill/category and putting them in order smallest to largest. Every month I’ll take out $5 for each category. I’ll keep flitting $5 in each category until the smallest is fully funded, then I’ll fill them all snowball style.
We are currently one/two months ahead. We didn’t pay off all our debt first either. However, beginning in September my income will be cut in half. Husband’s pay covers bills and most expenses so I’m looking for side hustle so our sinking funds and savings don’t suffer. You do you; your income, your life, your journey.
Yap I’m currently laid off summer and I have no big savings I’m not gonna be hard on my self but ugh yall I need encouragement
I know you can do it.i have been saving for a while save what you can every time you get paid don't beat yourself up start it slow it will eventually pay off.❤❤
You can make it, don't lose hope and don't be afraid to take what you DON'T like to get to what you DO like!
Try selling stuff online (like Facebook marketplace) and whatever you make, save half (assuming you'll use the other half towards bills, food etc).
I'm currently unemployed, due to illness, my husband pays our bills & this is what I do and it's quickly adding up.
Go sister go! Save that money however you need, to best support yourself and your goals! I’ve got $3k in savings and I’m now working on sinking funds. I’m still putting $100/month in that savings, because I’m like you; I gotta take care of myself. 😊
Any money you are not currently using should be put into a HYSA (not an envelope you keep at home) so that when you meet your goal & are no longer adding to that particular fund, it is gaining you additional money (high interest). For example, I met my 1 month ahead goal, so now I'm working towards my 3-6 month emergency ... unless I touch my 1 month ahead, it is gaining interest and making additional money for me while I pour into my next goal account. Just a thought.
Forgive my ignorance but what is a HYSA? Thank you.
@ayesarodriguez7652 No worries at all. High Yield Savings Account
@@BudgetTreasuresdid you save with cash and put it in a HYSA once you reached your goal?
Raining days seem like everyday in my world thanks queen oh yeah ( real talk) peace
I am so glad that I started saving to be a month ahead. I left a job and after being 2 weeks without before finding a new job, I had to dip into that fund to pay for my June bills! It's definitely a good fund to have.
Yes it is!
I agree!!!❤
You are so correct on having that liquid cash to live. I’ve been there before….paid off debt to clear it up, lost my job and then relied on my cards to live. Then I had no more cash and back in debt again 😞
I am trying hard to pay off debt but I’m thinking of putting a hold on it until i can save enough to be one month ahead on the “four walls”.
You can always open a HYSA. I use Ally, they hv no minimum amount, no fees, and 10 transactions a month are allowed. I have mine linked to my bill account. The transfer time is approx 2-3days. I using the method of saving 3mos of living expenses, but your method is something to think about.
Thanks for this video! 'One month ahead' is one of my sinking funds I'm working on. For me it is every monthly expense & one month spending. The difference for me is that I don't intend to cycle it out to bills. Once fully funded, that will stay cash at home in my safe.
This is what I finally settled on after being so confused about what people mean when they say “one month ahead.” Some of the explanations sounded like people are just making sure to set aside money from the paycheck(s) leading up to the bill due dates so they are able to pay them on time. Shuffling money around just to shuffle it is a distraction. I opened a new high yield savings account for the one month ahead.
Girl, you're making me want to get my nails done and that's not in my budget. 😅
Thanks for this video! Very helpful. ❤
Hey Bestie! I decided to keep that private because I share so much. I also have people who follow me who knows me personally and I don’t want everyone knowing everything. My mortgage/Tithes/and offering I want to keep private and personal. Those were my thoughts.
Your videos are so inspiring, I just lost my job because I was assaulted by my ex and hospitalized for 5 months, I’ve been struggling to find a new job since I was cleared to work 2 weeks ago. I’m hoping to get to a point where i can sell my digital planner and sheets, because i have 2 kiddos i need to support, and unfortunately i cant even get help from the government. Seeing you and your journey has helped me feel like i can get through this, cause i know you can and will.
Just checking in with you.. did you find a job yet,
I saved 3 months ahead. Of course I’ve had to tweak it and add if I have another bill or if there was any increases. I keep mine in a HYSA for if I loose my income. That is what I thought would work best for me. I think it’s great that you’re teaching by doing.
Congratulations on your journey. I was relieved to hear you mention that you will also have an emergency fund. I stress the importance of that because things pop up that can clear out one month of expenses.
I started back doing one month ahead in March or April and I love this method! I had a hiccup in May though and I’m trying to figure out where I overspent 😅 but overall, it feels much more comfortable this way. I had a delay in my paycheck in May and I’m glad I wasn’t depending on that check to pay my due bills 🙌🏾 it’s definitely a journey though! I realized this time around that my month isn’t going to be the 1st to the 1st, and that’s ok. It’ll probably be like the 25th to the 25th. That’s why budgets are personal 🫶🏾 I love following your money journey! It’s perfect for all the people to understand how to make their budgets work for them ❤
I agree 1 month ahead is crucial. Great video!!
Thank you! 🙏🏽
I'm a one income gal myself! I couldn't agree more. I have less than $5k in debt. I'm back on my savings journey. My savings and security is more important💯
Yes ma’am!
Change banks if you have fees. Your bank is using your money. They should not be charging you to use your own money.
Put your savings in a different bank than your checking account. This gives you two sources of credit if a huge emergency pops up. But it also keeps you from withdrawing money from your savings bcuz its not easy. You would have to drive to another bank/credit union. Some credit unions are a lot better places to put your money. Usually less rules and a bigger interest rate for savings. Check around, and choose wisely.
This is a goal of mine. Definitely working towards getting started for this.
I want to thank you for sharing your financial journey and tips with the world. I have been using 2024 to educate myself and have been getting my mind right in changing my finances in many ways. I love this idea and going to go about this next. Bingeing your content right now. It helps to see someone who I can see myself in. Thank you again.
I got a month ahead last year by taking a pause in extra debt payments. It has been a total game changer to use all the money made this month to assign to next month’s budget. After I complete paying off debt in September 🤞🏽, I will be filling out some sinking funds, getting another month ahead on bills only (not the full month), an extra month of income replacement (making it 2 months + 1.5 months ahead). I will then lower the income replacement priority while I save for a kitchen renovation and a big vacation in 2026. The long term goal is for my income replacement fund to be 6 months + 1.5 months ahead. YNAB makes it easy for me to focus on funding the categories and seeing my progress. 🙌🏽
Also, while I’m a month ahead in my budget, I do use the current month’s influx into my checking account to pay my bills. I may need to transfer money from my sinking funds savings to cover some payments, but I try to keep as much as possible in my HYSA.
I had the same thing happen to me in 2008. Was up for a raise at my job of 8 years. Got called into the office for what I thought would be good news, only to be laid off. It was awful. Only got 1 month of "severance pay" and found out I was pregnant with my second son 2 days later! I couldn't make this up lol
I had been making a phenomenal amt for me
We were literally going out for Turkey Day
Beg of Nov my hrs were cut in half
No way could I justify eating out ever again till my income greatly increased! Let alone a holiday meal.
It was a sad holiday with little extra for dinner. Just thankful we were eating.
Last yr I was making about same (accounting for inflation) and was so relieved to be bringing in actual money.
Got injured n lost my job becuz of it. PAIN for monthsssssssss to boot. Life is hard.
@@YeshuaKingMessiah prayers to you! Yessss life is very hard!🙏🏽🙏🏽
Great video! I'm on the one month ahead journey also. I didn't see the white out you used in description box. I bought some from Amazon and they were trash. I need the one you use please thanks!
Hey Bestie. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you 💯 %. I too have lost a job in the past and yes it was devastating and I thought it was over. I had a husband at that time who pulled me out of the funk alone with my pastor and lots of prayers. That was 14 years ago and since then I have lost my husband and during that time I had to file for bankruptcy another devastating moment in my life since I have always paid my bill and on time. Again praying and not giving up. I too believe in saving for such a time as this. We don’t know what is ahead but God does and I want to be prepared and ready. I have another savings account that I put funds in and when I need it I’m ready to pay off or transfer the money to checking to pay off a bill. Continue to bless us with your knowledge much appreciated ❤❤
Wow... thank you for sharing that story. I just learned that the state I am in does not have to give you a reason why they lay you off... you can work there for years and then they can fire you with no warning, no reasoning🤯 Soooo glad you were able to be a testimony to yourself and others! Thank you🤍
Yup...you are right...The state that I live in is pro-employee BUT not when it comes to layoffs...Sometimes we just have to make sure that we are prepared for as much as we can be
We all have trial and error times doing something new. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to get all the information I want in my budget binder. A bill tracker for the month on one page...the inking fund constantly get changed...lol. I will get to a happy place one day🎉
It's a good thing that every month you thinking funds or your allocated funds change. Your budget is a living document if something is different this month you need to have the flexibility and the disposable cash to move things around to make it work.
I make a rough budget for each month during November and December time. In the new year once the month is actually here and I'm on the current pay period I make changes based on real life.
Sometimes I print pages from different people who offer budget binders and end up not using them at all because they aren't practical for my day-to-day life. I paid a majority of my bills on payday and try not to make any expenses on my debit card until the next payday. So I only end up using my binder occasionally.
Another idea is to change your w4 to single and 0 so that your employer takes more tax out of your pay. Because you claim single and zero, you will get back more money at tax time. When you do your tax , you will claim your true status. That extra money can be used to pay a debt or to start your month ahead or emergency fund. Just another idea.....
As a tax professional I would also take a certain amount as extra taxes being taken out. For example, you claim 0 and an additional $50 per pay period.
If you noticed, the last two years not much taxes has been taken out even if claim as 0 because the percentage did change.
@Taxontrack Hi Friend, I am a tax professional too. Thank you for sharing. I have claim single and 0 all my life and head of household on my tax return because OF my child. This is not for everyone but for those who have a hard time saving like myself.....this helps me not oweing uncle Sam and to save money....like I said just another idea....,
@@Taxontrackyeah I found that out the hard way this year and ended up having to pay
@@TaxontrackGreat advice. I’ve been doing this for years. If I pick up a side hustle, I have and extra $50 taken out of that as well. I never want to owe the IRS and it’s nice to get a small stack of money at the start of spring. While I don’t save any of it. I use it to buy flowers, get my garden started and/or something for the house.
@@sjlmorgan oh no. Please reach out to your Human Resources department and put it at 0 if you can afford too. Also, you can put a dollar amount of how much you want taken out each pay period. This is additional (hope this helps)
Thanks for being so transparent. I'm sure someone is going through something similar and needs your encouragement to budget to get ahead.
🩷🙏🏽🥰
New subscriber. Great video! I hope when we get out of credit card debt we can get a month ahead.
Thank you sooo much for subscribing to the channel! You definitely will be able to get 1 month ahead! I believe in you
Hey Jazmine. I have been a subscriber for a while and hardly comment except adding emojis lol. I definitely agree with what was said about saving money while paying off debt in case when unexpected situation arise then we'll have the money available.
So nice seeing another video. I love that 1 month ahead. That’s a great idea!!
Hello. Great video. Ask your bank again for the options to a free savings account. In addition to the minimum $300 dollars most banks also have the option of a recurring transfer from your checking account The amount could be as low as $5 dollars and any day of the month of your choosing.
Good luck on your journey. Love your videos.
Sis if you have a credit union near you see if you can open an account there..only takes $5 to open and maintain savings. A basic Checking accounts normally does not require a minimum balance to carry.
I think that I may look into this!
Yes Credit Union is the way to go for me. No minimum balance to carry only $1 fee monthly. I have 2 checking accounts 2 savings accounts and a MM account has my high yield.
This was a great video!! So informative and I agree completely with you on having one month ahead so you don't have to rely on credit cards when things happen!!
Soooo true. You don't want to end up paying 30% on TOP of what you borrowed when using credit 😭
Look at you now 🎉such a strong 💪🏾 example for your girls (daughter and granddaughter ❤❤) and US!
💜🩷
We got word our company would be filing bankruptcy (30K lost jobs) last Aug. My team has been extremely lucky to still be working as things wind down. I don't know where we'd be if I'd lost my position immediately because we were not ready like so many others. We are tackling both debt and saving for when I'm finally done and looking for a new job. It has been an eye-opening situation, especially not having any kind of emergency fund at the time and being so unprepared. You have the knowledge and habits available to help get through this, you'll come out on top!
Yes I’m seasonal and I’m mad at myself for not saving for the summer and helping people that can’t help me jasmine that’s what happened to me but never again I’m
Starting over from scratch in August
I agree with you totally you have to protect yourself when it’s only your income especially. I follow Dave Ramsey as well but I am putting more than 1000.00 away. I agree with the “ rainy day fund quote “ lol Bestie ignore the negative comments if you have to delete or block. As always thanks for the upload 😊
Hi, where did you get your calculator and white out pen? You mentioned the link for it, but i dnt see it. Thanks
Going to make my 1 month ahead equal to 1 month of take home pay. That way I know all bills will be covered for 1 month in that account.
I actually separate my emergency funds in pretty much the same way you do. One month ahead = one month of bills that could be paid. Then your 'emergency fund' I just call my 'job loss fund', and it is in case I lose my job. And a 3rd category, what you call 'rainy day fund' I have in my budget as 'unspecified emergency'. I do additionally have sinking funds for the car and house maintenance, but this unspecified emergency is like, if I suddenly need to fly out to someone's funeral or something like that. You are very brave for being so open about finances. It's much needed.
Yes you are doing the right thing. I started by saving all one dollar bills for the yr. Which was between $1250 one yr and then $1675 the next yr. So I needed to challenge myself more and started the $5 challenge and worked my way to the 100 dlrs envelope challenge. I have completed it 2 times already. It really teaches you to be very disciplined. You will soon find yourself not wanting to go out to eat cuz you want to really finish the 100 dlrs challenge. Good luck on your journey!
And your rant made absolute sense I agree !!! ❤
Being debt free is a great goal, but before you can get focused on paying down debt, you MUST have savings and emergency funds. Life happens--your car breaks down, your hot water heater goes out, you step on a nail and have to go to the ER, your child gets sick and you have to take off a week and have no paid time to cover it. Those are emergencies and if you dont have something set aside you will just go back into debt--or worse.
Along with one month's expenses saved up, I think it wise to have whatever insurance deductibles for your home/renters insurance and car insurance saved as well. If you have crazy high health insurance deductibles, you might want to have at least part of that saved back as well too. I keep mine in a high yield savings account where I can get to it easily in casse of an emergeny, but it is seperate from my other savings.
I like the way that you dilineate the emergency, one month ahead & your rainy day (crisis) funds ❤ I'm getting back into cash focus & budgeting after a bit of a chaotic 4 months.
I use to be good at this and fell off once I started making more money. I am going to go back to basics and write out everything so I can stop dipping into my savings because I pay a lot out in debt.
I’m Currently working on getting a month ahead u just never know theses days
Absolutely you have to start with your living expenses, because whilst paying off debt if things were to take a negative turn then your situation would then move into survival mode where you couldn’t live or pay the debt off. The wheels have to keep turning people in order to pay everything. You go girl, this is something I am currently trying to do myself. Good luck on your journey and tyfs. 😊
Join a credit union . You can have as much account without a fee.
Thanks for sharing your story, Jazmine! 😊 Needed this video! 😊
Thank you!!
Great Video; thanks for sharing.
I have set up my one month ahead. I have phone, lights and Internet fully funded for one month ahead. I will not apply the one month ahead toward the bills. I want to save it until I am at least 3 months ahead. Good luck on your journey.
Wow. In the middle of cv this happened to me. Private business sold to corporate. My retirement job done. I was aimless. Still struggling, but faithful.
Thank you for these videos ❤️
Currently laid off and our stories are similar they just did a massive layoff for similar reasons. I am blessed that I was somewhat prepared now I am working on finding something else and excited that things will be different so there will be no next time
Thank you for giving really good advice I just went through with what happened to you. And I really appreciate you taking time to give advice.
I have actually saved enough for 1 month ahead for mortgage, bills and working on variable categories. I used the snowball process so it was small wins.
This is interesting I look forward to see what works for you. I have a saving account at the same bank so I can switch the money back and forth.
Loving the whole aesthetic vibe
This is the video I’ve been looking for!!!
Hey Besties, You keep doing you, you are an inspiration to all of us. It's hard to get back what was taken from you after a divorce. And you have to work on debt and savings to get ahead.
I totally understand! We have bounce back in our dna
Your channel just popped up on my news feed. Great job going step by step and making it easy to understand how to go about planning and making financial goals. Keep up the Great work!
Thank you so much! I appreciate you clicking and watching 🙏🏽
Great video, thank you!
The consistency 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
Mad respect for folks stuffing the cash envelopes. I would lose it, physical cash is tough for me. I do the same idea over at Betterment cash management and it's been decent, plus a little interest is nice.
Hi I am new thanks for explaining , I understand more 😊
Yesss. I was thinking about this all day! 😊
This is like a MUST DO!
@@BudgetTreasures agreed. It’s a bit intimidating but it’s worth a try.
Starting the process with you bestie. Thank you so much for this video😊
Yes! Let’s do this
uncertainty of my job is the chapter am in and am frustrated, stressed and mad all at the same time. I hate when a job knows your outcome but beats around the bush before telling you.
I know how you feel. This is why an emergency fund and 1 month ahead is so important
@BudgetTreasures currently have an emergency fund being funded with a monthly Challenge. And trust and believe, I'm restarting my 1 month ahead fund.
Oh I believe it. I’m right there with you
Thank you so much for this video❤️
Even Dave Ramsey says in his baby steps that you need at LEAST $1000 emergency fund before you start paying down debt, so that you don't end up back needing to rely on loans or credit cards
I just found you and subscribed after watching this video I so want to start on getting a month ahead just haven’t been able to wrap my head around exactly how to do it. This video helped so much!
Awesome. I am so glad that it helped. I know just how you felt. Thank you for joining the community ❤ I hope that you love it here
I’m sorry to hear you got laid off from your favorite job 😕 BUT: God REPLACES what gets taken away with something as good or better ❤️❤️ I agree getting at least 1 month ahead is priceless. So good on the mental health as well knowing your financially prepared for whatever ❤️🙏🏼
I lost my job because I had a medical situation going on. I'm trying to save now, and it's hard. But I'm not giving up.
Can you tell me where you got your planner?
proud of you
Thank you!! 🙏🏾☺
I completely agree. I got laid off in 2022. That opened up my eyes WIDE
Your total monthly payments are literally 5x the amount of mine and I can barely apply money to my savings. And I sit my butt at home and don’t spend money. Irs needs to come up with basic plan for individuals to accumulate funds as additional revenue and add to total at end of year. If individual continues to generate revenue, then create ein business for differential liability and taxation purposes. Be like Nike and JUST DO IT!
Where can I buy your planner? Or similar
I love how you broke this up. Great video.
Thank you!!!
Currently trying to get three months ahead before saving up to move out.
I've come up with my goal number by calculating all my barebones necessities. I aim to save about $200 to $230 per check. From there, I do my best to stay within my budget. Every dollar I make (aside from $60 that stays in my checking account) is assigned a purpose. On my next payday, if those 60 bucks haven't been spent on Starbucks or boba, I either invest it or add it to one of my various sinking funds.
I should also mention that my 3 month emergency fund is completely separate from my regular checking account. Where my every day bank charges me a monthly fee just for doing business with them, the bank where I keep my savings actually PAYS me to store my money with them. Granted, what I get back is like, 1.2% APY, but it's better than having money taken out 🤷🏽♀️
This helps bc I want to begin a one month ahead sinking fund.
Another amazing video!! ❤
Thank you ☺️🫶🏾🩷🤗
Can you do an in-depth video of the moment you got financial advice or help ..was it after the lay off you mentioned in this video? Did you search for budgeting help or did someone in your life help you to learn about financial independence
Wow! Just wow! God surely does speak and He just spoke through you. Yesterday I was thinking….I should do a video on how I learned how to budget and start my financial journey. So with THIS confirmation….Video Request coming sooner than you think! 🫶🏾
Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉 can’t wait ❤
can u tell me what sz do you print off ure budget sheets from the budget mom as i always have to cut a bit of mine to fit my big happy planner. PS love your videos xx
This is an awesome video. I do this as well. Mine is like $1700 Month. For 1 month ahead. I start at the lowest expense to the highest. I'm doing pretty good.
I can't find the link for the white out pens.
Hey bestie ! I love your videos. And you are literally my inspiration. I am debating where to start with saving and getting out of debt. I recently took a temporary pay cut and I am trying to get back on track with my lifestyle ! Can you link all the items you use to budget ie the budget planner (the exact one use & markers. ) I would appreciate it greatly.
I did my emergency fund the is really just 6 months expenses... but i did cut some stuff like my gas $$ if i not working wont be expeding same amount , cut few stuff too like the gym ,streams service ,amazon prime ..