How to budget your annual beer budget

Sharing my budgeting system that has worked for some of my friends, and may work for you, too. Disclaimer: I am not a finance expert.

This system helps you stop yourself from spending money that you don’t have (it did for me, at least).

Here are the three steps that I started with:

1. List down all your bills and expenses, even your BEER budget.
   
   Just list them down. Rent, phone, electricity, transit and food allowances, internet, tuition fees, monthly or weekly groceries, credit cards, travel funds, target savings (ex. I want to be able to save PHP 1000 per month)… List. Them. Down.
   
2. List across the days that you get paid (even if you start with rough estimates), and the amount you get paid with for each payday.
   
   This includes all the money that you anticipate on getting, like your 13th month pay or tax returns. If you anticipate getting those on (for example) Dec 15, then include them in Dec 15.
   
3. Match the two, and ask yourself: When should you pay for what? What are due dates of each bill?
   
   Example: Rent is usually due every 1st of the month; hence, every end of the month, you should have rent already available in your pocket for the following month. In my case, I take it from pays that I get every 30th.

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Do this annually, and you’ll be able to see the amount of money that goes in and out, without worrying or regretting. It can also help you discipline yourself with your money.

Live within your means, and do not be “that friend” who forces themselves into a lifestyle that they cannot afford.

You can still enjoy your pleasures and your hard work. You don’t have to be that boring adult who doesn’t enjoy what they earn— you just have to accept that THERE IS A LIMIT to what you earn.