Money Saving Mom®

Let’s be honest, sticking to a budget is sometimes kind of like trying to keep a toddler clean during spaghetti night. You try, but life is messy.

So many people think budgeting is something you set once and leave alone. In actuality, budgeting is more like sourdough starter. You’ve got to check in, stir things up a little, and feed it regularly or it falls apart fast.

Instead of waiting for the end of the month to wonder where all the money went, I highly recommend doing a simple 5-minute budget check-in every week. That’s it. Five minutes. It just might completely change how you handle money… and it’s so simple!

If you’ve ever felt behind, unorganized, or just too overwhelmed to look at your bank account, this is for you.

The Five-Minute Budget Check-In:

Here are the six questions I recommend asking at the end of each week to keep your budget on track and your sanity intact (if you are married, I recommend reviewing these with your spouse, if possible):

1. What Worked This Week?

Let’s start with the good stuff. Did you stick to your grocery budget? Actually skip the drive-thru? Pack lunches three times instead of eating out at work?

Even if your big goal is to pay off debt or save $1,000, the little wins count. For me, this might be that we ate leftovers or I made a meal from what we had in the pantry. Or, I came up with a way to use something I already have on hand instead of buying new. Or, I found a really great deal on something I already needed to buy!

For whatever went right: notice it, name it, and acknowledge the win.

2. What Didn’t Work?

This part isn’t for shaming yourself. It’s for learning.

Did you blow the takeout budget on Wednesday because you forgot to meal prep? Did you “accidentally” walk into Target and unintentionally spend $67 on things you didn’t really need?

Maybe you reflect on this and realize that you spend extra money on snacks every Friday. As you think about it, perhaps you realize you are always out running errands with your kids after school on Fridays and everyone is hungry.

This awareness is key! Now, you can plan a fun snack stop in advance and budget for it OR bring snacks from home. Boom. Problem solved!

3. What Do I Want to Change?

This is where the magic happens. Maybe your Dining Out budget needs more wiggle room. Maybe you didn’t track things well this week because life felt crazy.

Ask yourself: What could I change next week to feel more prepared or in control? Sometimes the answer is simple like setting a phone reminder to log receipts. Sometimes it’s deeper, like realizing your budget doesn’t match your real life and needs a total refresh. Or that you are trying to buy happiness and need to fast from spending money to instead try to address the emotions that you’re masking by spending money.

Either way, there’s always something you can adjust.

By the way, if you need help resetting your budget, check out my FREE 5-Day Budget Makeover! In just 5 days, I’ll help you build a budget that you can actually stick with.

4. What Surprised Me?

Did something cost more than expected? Did you get a refund you forgot about? Was the electric bill way lower thanks to cooler weather?

Just this past week, I got a notification that we’d been charged $28 for a monthly fee for something. I didn’t recognize the company. Turns out, one of our teens had signed up for something (with our permission) thinking it was a one-time fee and it turned out to be an ongoing subscription. We had the teen go in and get that resolved and cancelled. And I was so glad I caught it because $28 a month would add up very quickly!

Surprises are little gifts of insight… even the frustrating ones.

5. Was I Over Budget Anywhere?

If you went over your budget, ask yourself: Was this a one-time thing, or is it happening often?

If it’s a pattern (like groceries being $50 over every week), it might be time to either:

• Adjust the budget
• Adjust your spending habits
• Or both!

Either way, don’t beat yourself up. This is just helpful information. Think of your budget like a GPS: if you take a wrong turn, it just recalculates. It doesn’t call you irresponsible.

6. Any “Aha” Moments?

Sometimes during this check-in, you might discover something big about your money mindset. Like the week I was grieving the loss of something big in my life and realized I wanted to just buy something to try to fill the hole and take away some of the sadness. This was a good reminder for me to stop and give myself space to acknowledge my sadness and the depths of the loss I was feeling.

Or maybe you instead are noticing how calm you feel and you realized it’s because you’ve been planning ahead and saving for upcoming bills.

Those little lightbulb moments are powerful. They help you understand yourself and build better habits that actually stick.

Weekly Check-Ins = Real Budget Confidence

This simple practice just might help you go from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “I’ve got this. I have a plan. And I’m living in a way that lines up with my values and priorities!”

So this weekend, grab your planner, a sticky note, or even just the Notes app on your phone. Set a 5-minute reminder and ask yourself these six questions. You don’t need a fancy app or a perfect plan. You just need a willingness to check in, learn from what has happened, make some small tweaks, and try again next week.

Because every little step matters.

Want More Help Managing Your Money?

For more encouragement and ideas to better manage your money, pre-order a copy of my new book, The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women.

This book is something I wrote for each and every woman. It’s for the woman in college, the married woman, the single woman, the mom with lots of kids, the woman who doesn’t have kids, the empty nester, and anything and everything in between.

It is part memoir (sharing so many stories of my upbringing and how my parents and grandparents influenced me when it comes to money + lots of stories from our early years of marriage) and it is part practical handbook.

It is packed with my best time-tested advice on how to change your financial future — one step at a time — written in a very realistic, down-to-earth, encouraging style.

Whether you are struggling and stressed or feel like you are in a good place financially and would just like to fine-tune things, The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women is for you.

Plus, if you pre-order my book, you’ll get access to exclusive bonus materials, including my Money Reset Toolkit. This exclusive product includes two printable resources you’ll want to come back to again and again: The 10-Minute Money Reset and What to Do First With Your Money Roadmap.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or simply unsure what to do next, this printable toolkit will help you stop spinning your wheels and focus on one simple, meaningful step at a time. Find out more and access the pre-order bonus Money Reset Toolkit here.

You Might Also Like:

• Ask Crystal: Which Budgeting App is Best?
• 7 Simple Rhythms That Bring Peace to Our Home
• How to Teach Kids About Money Management: An Age-By-Age Guide
• How Can I Budget When I’m So Far Behind?
• Ask Crystal: How Do I Get My Spouse on Board with Budgeting?
• 15 “Weird” Ways to Save Money
• 25 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
• The Best Apps to Make Money Reselling Your Stuff
• Small Leaks, Big Impact: How Tiny Daily Spending Habits Can Quietly Drain (or Transform!) Your Budget
• How to Start a Savings Plan That Works
• How to Get Out of Debt

If you try this 5-minute budget check-in, I’d love to hear what you discover in the comments below!