Discover Your Non-Budget

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on little things — that morning coffee from the drive-through, your afternoon soda break, going out to lunch every Friday. Surely those items don’t belong in a “real” budget, right? Wrong!

Put aside your real budget for a minute, and write down your “non-budget” — the regular, recurring expenses that are going under the radar. If it happens at least once a month, it’s fair game.

• Be honest. No one will see this non-budget except you.
• Don’t feel guilty about anything you put down. They’re just choices — but you need to know you’re making them.
• Enjoy it. Feel free to write anything. It’s not your “real” budget, after all!

Once you’ve finished your list think about how much more accurate your “real” budget would be if it included these items. Maybe your “non-budget” has a place in your “real” budget after all.