• Home
  • GET THE BOOK
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
  • Shop TBM
  • Courses

The Budget Mom

Real Women. Real Life. Real Finance

  • Home
  • Products
    • Live Rich Planner
    • Budget By Paycheck
  • Blog
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • COURSES
  • GET THE BOOK
  • Shop TBM

A life you love on a budget you can afford.

Here on TBM®, I provide you with simple, easy-to-follow solutions to help you budget your money, pay off debt, save more, and crush your financial goals. But more than that, I give you the tools to start doing the things that matter most to you, on a budget that actually works!

How I Use the 2018 Live Rich Planner

December 20, 2017
Budget Guides

Share13
Pin111
Share
Tweet
Email
124 Shares

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

For the longest time, I used an excel spreadsheet to document and budget successfully. The problem I kept running into was convenience.

I would be in line at a grocery store, and a random thought about an upcoming bill would enter my mind. The need to write it down was there, but since my budget was in electronic form on my desktop, I didn't have access to it to make adjustments.

I have been a successful budgeter since 2011, and during that time I learned exactly what I need to track, plan, and prepare my finances. The problem was, I couldn't find anything on the market that I could buy that had exactly what I wanted.

What do you do when you can't find what you're looking for? You create it yourself. In 2016, the Live Rich Planner became a reality.

The Live Rich Planner is something that I have access to any time I need it, it's small enough to fit in my purse, and it has all of the pages I need to organize my busy mom life and my finances.

Today, I wanted to walk you through how I use my 2018 Live Rich Planner. I am going to show you the exact steps I take to set up a new budget every month, and how to use the pages in the planner with my budget-by-paycheck budgeting method.

Keep in mind that I budget my income according to my paychecks. If you are a monthly budgeter, the 2018 Live Rich Planner is still a great option. The pages have an outline for your finances, but they are set up in a way for you to budget using any method that works best for you.

Before we dig in, I first want to answer a question I get from a lot of readers.

What is the difference between the Budget-by-Paycheck Workbook and the 2018 Live Rich planner?

The Budget-by-Paycheck Workbook is exactly that, a workbook. It was designed with all of the tools you need to set up and start using an effective budget. In the workbook, there is a blank monthly calendar, but there is no place to write down appointments, or upcoming events on a daily schedule or overview.

The workbook is a more advanced guide to my budget-by-paycheck budgeting method. Think of the pages as worksheets. The worksheets in the workbook were created for you to write down answers to specific tasks to generate an overall budget.

The Live Rich Planner is exactly that, a planner. Though it does contain personal finance pages to document your budget, savings, and debt. The planner acts as a guide and gives you an overall picture of your budget. Like most planners, there is a daily schedule for planning upcoming events and appointments.

WHICH ONE SHOULD I BUY?

If you are looking for detailed direction on how to set up a budget, and need step-by-step guidance, then the Budget-by-Paycheck workbook is the one you should look at.

If you need something to document your finances but are looking for something that can organize more of your overall life, then the Live Rich Planner is the best option.

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

First, I use the undated monthly calendar to write down when all of my bills are due. I highlight them in pink so I can quickly see when bills are due each month.

When I pay my bills, I put a little check mark next to it on the calendar. This tells me quickly which bills I have paid. When my bill clears my checking account, I cross it out. As you can see, paying my bills consists of three steps. Highlighting them on my calendar, marking it with a check mark once I pay them, and then crossing them out when the bill clears my checking account.

I also use the monthly calendar to mark any upcoming events, meetings, lunch/dinner dates, and any little reminders.

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

The next monthly section in the Live Rich Planner is the goals and savings tracker. The savings tracker is a great way to remind yourself that your making progress towards the things that matter most. I know the feeling when you're only able to save $10 or $25. It feels like it's useless. But over time, the small wins add up. The savings tracker reminds you of that.

I only do one savings goal at a time. For me, when I have a ton of things I am saving for, I tend to lose direction and motivation because it takes longer to save for five things than it does for one thing. It's easier to stay focused when you are working toward one savings goal.

If you have multiple things you want to save for, that's fine. Just keep a couple of blank spaces between each goal, and track your savings for each.

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

The debt tracker helps you keep everything in perspective as you pay off debt. In the example above, there are three debts that I'm tracking – student loans, a Visa credit card, and a car payment. Just like the savings tracker, if you have multiple debts or savings goals, keep a couple of blank spaces between each and track each one.

I keep track of the minimum payment I have to pay every month and also any extra payments I'm making along the way. I keep a running tally of each debt I am tracking and total how much I have paid off at the end of every month.

Before you start tracking your debt, make sure you have a debt payoff plan. This will tell you how long it will take to pay your debt off and which debts you need to pay first.

Your debt payoff goal is the amount that you would LIKE to pay every month. This number is usually any supplemental income you have every month. The Budget Sheet on the right will help you figure out how much extra money you have every month to put towards debt or saving.

List all of the expenses that you HAVE to pay and subtract that total from your total monthly income. Any money left over is called your supplemental income. In the example above, my supplemental income is already figured in because I already knew how much money I had left over every month.

Start with the budget on the right, then figure out your savings goal and debt payoff goal.

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

At the end of every month, there are eight pages for daily planning. Each day consists of a morning, afternoon, and an evening time slot. For me, when I am planning out my day, it easier to see it visually if it's broken down into these three categories. Use the date areas at the top of each day to write the date.

Today, I'm sharing an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how I use the all-new 2017 Live Rich Planner. I show you how to track your expenses, use the budget sheet, and how to keep track of your savings, and how you can keep track of your debt payoff.

I like to start each month with the monthly calendar. Once all of my expenses are written down, I use the budget sheet. From there, I set up my savings and debt payoff goals for each month.

For me, my income fluctuates a lot. It's not the same every month. Because of this, my supplemental income changes month-to-month. This means my savings goals and debt payoff goals will change every month.

That's it! That's how I use my 2018 Live Rich Planner. If you have bought one, I hope this guide helps you with the overall process. If you are interested in seeing a page-by-page preview of the two new designs, you can see them here: Floral Design & Stripe Design.

Do you have the Live Rich Planner? I would love to read about how you are using yours in the comments below.

Share13
Pin111
Share
Tweet
Email
124 Shares

Filed Under: Tagged With: BUDGET GUIDES, LIVE RICH PLANNER, ORGANIZE

Previous article:
« 5-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Next article:
5 Free Apps That Will Motivate and Help You Pay off Debt »

Comments

  1. DNN says

    January 3, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    Keep up the good work with your blogging. I predict by the end of 2018, you’ll be a full-time blogger and transforming from a side hustle blogger to making good money from affiliate marketing. Hang in there. 🙂

    • kumiko Ehrmantraut says

      January 6, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      Thank you.

  2. Jan says

    January 5, 2018 at 6:53 am

    I’m excited to use my planner and workbook. Thanks for simplifying the directions to help me get started.

    • kumiko Ehrmantraut says

      January 6, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Thank you Jan!

Hello, I'm Kumiko, but everyone just calls me Miko. Welcome to my blog, The Budget Mom. I am an Accredited Financial Counselor® , and mom to a rambunctious boy. Come along with me as I strive to live a life I love on a budget that I can afford. Read more about me.

RECENT YOUTUBE VIDEO

The Budget Mom

The Budget Mom
It’s time for another Real Life Budget. I asked my readers to submit their REAL information. Real spending, real debt, and real savings goals.

I am taking those real-life numbers and showing you how I would organize and budget that information using my Budget By Paycheck® Method.

If you would like to submit your budget information to possibly be picked for a Real Life Budget that we will show on YouTube, please reach out to budgets@thebudgetmom.com.

Diane is a single mom who is a Database Administrator for an IT Department at a local college. She lives in Queens, NY, and eventually wants to move to a lower-cost of living area in the future. 

Diane submitted her information because she is struggling to organize and tackle all of her larger short-term goals.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
02:15 Why & Personal Story
04:20 Income 
04:37 Fixed Expenses
05:48 Variable Expenses
06:31 Debt
07:53 Savings Goals
10:18 Budget By Paycheck Method
14:51 My Recommendations

➡️ HOW I TRACK MY SPENDING: https://bit.ly/3aIe89I
➡️ HOW TO USE A BUDGET CALENDAR: https://bit.ly/2IzF2Vj
➡️ FINDING YOUR WHY: https://bit.ly/3aJUryj
➡️ THE BUDGET MOM'S FINANCIAL FREEDOM STEPS: https://bit.ly/3cfJXsp
➡️ HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE CASH ENVELOPE METHOD: https://bit.ly/2vQJaO5
➡️ HOW TO CREATE A PLAN OF ATTACK TO PAY OFF DEBT: https://bit.ly/2wDETxF

ABOUT ME

Kumiko Love is a single mom who empowers women everywhere to regain control of their financial lives. An Accredited Financial Counselor with over nine years of experience in the finance industry, she founded The Budget Mom, a community of millions of women on a path to financial fulfillment.

She's also the creator of the wildly popular Live Rich Planner® and Budget by Paycheck® Workbook. Love has been featured on Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, CBS, ABC and in USA Today, US News, World Report, Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Parents Magazine, the Washington Post, and Real Simple. She lives in Spokane Valley, Washington.

YOU CAN FIND ME AT:

📝 WEBSITE: https://www.thebudgetmom.com
📘 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebudgetmom/
📸 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thebudgetmom/
📌 PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/thebudgetmom/

GET STARTED

➡️Start Here: https://www.thebudgetmom.com/start-here/
➡️Courses: https://courses.thebudgetmom.com/
➡️Free Resources: https://bit.ly/2PDmTHz
➡️GET 10% OFF my popular Budget-by-Paycheck Workbook - Coupon Code TBMYOUTUBE https://bit.ly/3FEdZFp

Soundstripe License Code: LBWMAQPEPWYVFKT3
Load More... Subscribe
Free Resource Library

Recent Posts

  • To Pay Off Debt or Not to Pay Off Debt: The Pros and Cons of Using Home Equity
  • The Secret to Personal Finance I Never Learned About in Business School
  • Don’t Overpay for TV and Internet: How to Shop Around for the Best Deals
  • 4 Simple Tricks to Stick to Your Grocery Budget
  • Celebrate Without Breaking the Bank: How to Save for Special Events

Blog Categories

Amazon Associates Disclosure

The Budget Mom, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

  • Cart
  • Shop Policies

Start With My Friday Newsletter

Every Friday I send you a short helpful email with my popular Friday freebie. Join my 500k+ subscribers!

About

  • Home
  • ABOUT TBM
  • Contact
  • Start Here

Important

  • DISCLAIMER
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Subscribe

Favorites

  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Live Rich Planner
  • Budget by Paycheck

Start With My Friday Newsletter

Copyright ©2023, The Budget Mom®
This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive a commission. This website is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program where I earn advertising fees by linking to amazon.com.
  • How financially fulfilled are you? Take this 2 minute quiz to get your score!
    Click Here to Start