The First Time I Tried Budgeting… And Why It Didn’t Work
How budgeting mistakes almost made me give up – and how I turned it all around.
For years, I lived paycheque to paycheque.
I had every intention to be “better with money.”
I’d make lists in my head. I’d set mental limits.
I’d say things like, “This month, I’ll be careful.”
But nothing changed.
So one day, I finally sat down and said,
“I’m going to budget properly.”
Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.
At least… not the first time.
When I Thought Budgeting Meant Cutting Everything
I thought budgeting was about control.
So I went in hard.
I made a spreadsheet with tight categories:
- Groceries: £250 (for a family with children ?? 😂
- Toiletries: £10
- Eating Out: £0
- Fun Money: £0
- Miscellaneous: £0
Yep — that was my first mistake.
I cut everything too much.
I left no room for life.
The Forgotten Expenses That Blew Up My Budget
It wasn’t just about being strict.
It was that I completely ignored reality.
I didn’t budget for:
- Laundry soap
- Toilet roll
- Kitchen towels
- Shower gel and body cream
- Nappies and wipes
- My kids’ school stationery
- My own university supplies
- Replacing clothes or shoes that have worn out
- Birthday gifts
- Ice cream on sunny days
- Lunches during long study sessions
- Family day outs like the zoo or soft play
All those small things?
They wrecked my budget.
And because I didn’t track anything properly, I couldn’t figure out where it went wrong.
I just thought, “Budgeting doesn’t work for me.”
But it wasn’t the budget.
It was how I was budgeting.
Mental Budgeting Is Not a Plan – It’s a Hope
For years, I was guilty of “mental budgeting.”
I kept rough numbers in my head and hoped I’d stay under them.
But mental budgeting has no accountability. No structure. No tracking.
It’s like trying to diet by thinking about calories but never checking the labels.
It wasn’t until I started writing everything down that I saw the truth.
I was underestimating my life.
Why My First Budget Failed (And What I Did About It)
After a few failed attempts, I realised three key things:
- My budget was too strict – I needed breathing room
- My expectations were unrealistic – I couldn’t “cut out life”
- I wasn’t tracking properly, and it kept me stuck in confusion
So I did something bold.
I enrolled with the National Financial Educators Council and became a
Certified Financial Literacy Professional.
I wanted to learn money the right way — not from social media snippets or guilt-driven habits.
And that decision changed my life.
What I Learned About Budgeting That No One Told Me
Here’s the truth:
Budgeting isn’t about restriction. It’s about awareness.
You need a budget that reflects your real life. Not your idealised version of it.
I now teach budgeting as a tool of empowerment, not punishment.
And here’s what I want every woman juggling work, studies, and family to know:
✅ Budgeting Success Means:
- Planning for real expenses like toiletries, school trips, and kids’ shoes
- Building a “miscellaneous” buffer – because life happens
- Tracking every pound so nothing surprises you
- Making room for joy: a coffee out, an ice cream in the park, a little treat
- Updating your budget monthly to reflect changing needs
- Ditching shame and choosing strategy
And I no longer feel guilty when I treat myself — because it’s part of the plan.
That’s why I created a free checklist for you, based on all the lessons I learned the hard way.
💡 Quick Win Download: The Budgeting Mistakes Checklist
Identify what’s holding your budget back – and fix it, fast.
👛 This tool is for you if:
- You’ve tried budgeting, and it didn’t work
- You feel like you always forget something
- You’re tired of feeling broke, even though you’re working hard
- You want a simple way to finally take control of your money
“Budgeting isn’t about saying no to everything — it’s about saying yes to what matters most.”
The Balanced Wealth Studio
