How to divide money

[onlyoranges]

I have 2 jobs so get paid fortnightly and then monthly. Everything goes into one account and all my direct debits come out of the same one. But I am getting myself into a pickle with my money. Is there a better way to manage this? Should I use more than one account? I lose track of how much I have left over for dcs dinner money, sports clubs etc. But from my sums I have more coming in than going out but it doesn't feel like it! We don't give pocket money either which I wonder would help me know where I am up to. Basically I need more organisational strategies with my money. Can any organised people help with some ideas?

[onlyoranges]

One pays them with some left over and the other nowhere near does.

[tribpot]

Basically you've got a set of monthly expenses (and some less frequent ones like birthdays, Christmas, car repairs and whatnot) and a non-monthly wage. Many people who are paid monthly get tripped up on the non-monthly expenses so you've got both headaches.

You don't need to use the software but I think the principles behind the budgeting tool You Need a Budget would help you a lot. It was designed for this kind of problem as many people in the US are paid weekly or fortnightly but have the same monthly cycle of bills as the rest of us. Have a look at the Getting Started video for an idea. Basically, you need to work out what the pay cheque has to cover before you next get paid, then track your money carefully against the categories you've assigned it to in the budget. Just understanding where you are right now will make it easier to figure out what (if anything) you need to do next.