Nillionaire

As I entered the upper division classes of my senior year of college, the classes became MUCH smaller and I started to feel misplaced as I got to know my colleagues better.  One day in particular, they were discussing their philosophies on being frugal:  "A shirt that is more than $15 is too expensive", "I give my husband a spending allowance of $5 a month", "I will only buy the 88 cent shampoo and conditioner", "my roommate threw away bread that was moldy, I took it out of the garbage, picked the mold off, and ate it for the next week".  As they continued to one-up each other, I sat SILENTLY, shrinking in my chair; I was in a major with a bunch of crAzy penny pinchers and I was nothing shy of a shopaholic...

I have a bachelor's degree in Family Consumer Human Development with an emphasis in Family Finance and I am a Nillionaire.

The process of drafting a budget, manipulating numbers to see various financial scenarios of what COULD be, is my favorite.  The DISCIPLINE it takes to actually FOLLOW a budget, not my favorite; however being a Nillionaire is also not my favorite so I've got no choice but to figure this money thing out.

I have experimented with various budgeting methods but my preferred method is pencil and paper budget forms.  Here are a few financial forms I've created.  I've got several others I adapted from various forms which I'd be glad to e-mail to you. 

Comparison of the recommended, budgeted, actual, & goal percentages.

 Currently, 50% of our income is going to debt: credit cards,  student loans, and car loan.  We are making power payments or snowball debt payments, can't wait to be debt free!

I created the year at-a-glance form to track progress of money spent on variable expenses-expenses that change from month to month.

Revolving savings allows you to plan out irregular expenses or revolving expenses-the expected but often forgotten expenses: annual car registration, quarterly oil changes, annual amazon subscription, birthday expenses, holidays, vacations, etc.

 Ivan and I have separate accounts. (I know it's not recommended, but it's an intentional decision we made) This form helps me keep track of ALLLL our account login info. I know where WE stand financially, I don't have to wonder or guesstimate, I can access his accounts and he can access my accounts.