How do you budget? / Do you budget?

[drinkwaterandmindmybusiness]

On the back of another thread where the income is relatively decent and bills are low but all the money seems to go and not sure where.

AIBU to ask do you budget or do you just get your money and spend it until it's gone?

AIBU to ask if you do budget, how do you actually do this?

List of bills and bills account for all bills to be paid from.

Separate savings that get paid in as soon as salary is paid.

Then whatever is left in current account is to spend as I please. BUT I still work out that on a monthly basis so if a hair appointment is due, social event, birthday etc then that can all be factored in.

I guess most people do the same? But do they?

I get paid at the end of the month and bills go out on the first of the month. I have a separate savings account that I use for birthdays and stuff and one for holidays. That money gets taken put at the same time as the bills. I have direct debits set up for the kid's saving accounts. What is left is money to spend. If I've got a birthday for one of my kids I start putting an extra amount into my savings to cover it.

I use YNAB and allocate fund to different categories every payday, then enter the transactions which updates the catergories as and when I spend money. I can see at a glance how much I have left in each one.