It's the start of another month, which means a Budget Committee Meeting is needed at our house. My hubby and I find one evening at the start of the month to review the previous month's spending and look at the month ahead. This meeting doesn't have to be lengthy, but it's important for both husband and wife to be on the same page with how "our" money is divided up. The budget reflects our values. And if we disagree on how to spend it or what to buy, then we need to talk through those things until we come to an agreement.

I keep our budget on an Excel spreadsheet that I created. I plug in figures from our online bank account statements and receipts. I keep track of how we spend everything. We know where it all goes.

Dave Ramsey says that budgeting is telling your money what to do. This is so true. Otherwise, it just slips through your fingers. The budget tells it exactly where to go. Every dollar spent on paper before it's really spent.

If you find that you don't have enough money left at the end of the month, I strongly encourage to start budgeting, tracking down where the money goes. Then become intentional about how you're going to spend it from this point forward. If you need help, go to www.crown.org or www.daveramsey.com for loads of advice and tips.

Budgeting - works for us!