Budgeting is extremely hard, especially if you have a spending problem like me, as I'm sure many of you do. However, being frugal isn't as hard as it sounds when you have a plan in place. It really comes down to a simple, real life equation:

1) Calculate your income

Add up the amount of money you make on a monthly basis. If it's not the exact same amount every month, always round down the number so you have more money to work with if in fact you do make more money than you anticipated.

2) Create a list of monthly expenses

List out how much your bills are (on average) groceries, gas etc. so you know how much you HAVE to spend on a monthly basis.

3) Figure out how much money you want to be saving each month

Set an amount that you want to put into a savings account or have saved each month to subtract from your income.

4) Subtract your monthly expenses and amount you want to save from your monthly income to get the amount you have left to spend

For example, if I made $1000/month, had to spend $600/month on bills, rent, gas, etc., and wanted to save $100/month, my equation would be 1000-700=300 to give me $300 that I have to spend freely.

Budgeting isn't hard! Allocate your money beforehand and keep track of how much you're spending. This way you do not have to stress over making rent or paying bills on time because you will always have enough money. Happy budgeting!