Making a budget is hard, sticking to it is even harder! Today we’ve shared four simple steps to staying on top of your budget and ensuring you don’t spend more money than you were supposed to. Remember planning a wedding is stressful but doing small things like this can dramatically reduce that stress!
#One – Write it Down!
Whether you prefer to type it or write it out on a piece of paper, one of the best and simplest ways to stay on top of your budget is to write everything out. From the pair of earrings you desperately want, to the catering write down your budget. Have space for what you expect to pay, what you actually paid, deposits and so on. Keeping in mind gratuity and any tax you have to pay on top of the price! One of the biggest reasons couples go over their budget is because they didn’t factor in the extra stuff on top of the price. Once you’ve wrote it all down it becomes easy to see how much you spent already and how much is left in your budget to spend.
#Two – Prioitize
To make sure you are getting what you want and not loosing money on things you don’t need, decide what is the most important to you and what are items which would be “nice” extras if you still have money left over. This way you will know what you want and won’t be disappointed if you can’t afford the photographer you wanted because you over spent in an area which was not as important.
After you have written down what is most important, find the ones you want and book them first before booking other things so the money is purposfully spent on what you wanted.
#Three- Set Reminders
When you book far in advance sometimes you end up spending more because of late payments incurred along the way due to forgetting to pay something when it was due. Easiest way to avoid this is to put several reminders in place to notify you when you need to pay something.
Use sticky notes, Alarms, e-mail reminders and what ever else you can think of to ensure you don’t miss those important dates.
#Four- Set Aside Money
Along with forgetting to make payments another reason couples pay more than they should is because they didn’t set aside the money they needed for the wedding and instead put everything on credit cards which they forget or cannot pay off in a timely manner.
To avoid this issue set up a savings account for you wedding so all the money you need and plan to spend on it will be at your disposal when you need it but won’t be accidently spend on something else.
Budgetting Sheet
Download our budgetting spread sheet below to help you keep on top of your wedding!
Planning a wedding is stressful. You can save yourself a lot of heartache and frustration if you stay on top of the planning process. Budgeting is one of the most important parts of planning a wedding, however it is also the area which is neglected the most by couples due to the stress of thinking and sometimes fighting about money.
You should not be going into large debt to plan your wedding. Although it is one of the most important days of your life is it only one day in the grand scheme of your marriage, be wise about what you do.
If you need help or guidance in planning your wedding reach out to those around you or send us a message, we would love to help you make your day wonderful while also keeping you on track!
With Love
Jazmine Orme
