Budgeting is the foundation of taking charge of your money. Why? Because budgeting is telling every dollar what to do. Every. Single. Dollar.

But let’s be honest—sometimes all this budgeting stuff gets . . . well . . . exhausting. It can be tough to keep that financial drive alive.

No matter where you find yourself on your budgeting journey, we’ve got a few tips and tricks to keep the motivation going along the way.

You’ve been plugging away for months creating zero-based budgets, logging your transactions, paying down debt, and saving up for emergencies.

Maybe you’ve been budgeting for years, but you just started streamlining the process with the EveryDollar app. Maybe this entire budgeting concept is completely new to you. In any case, if you’ve been working hard at crushing those goals, it’s time to reward yourself. You know what they say: “All work and no reward make for one burnt-out budgeter,” or something like that.

You might think rewards sound expensive. The truth is rewarding yourself can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t neglect treating yourself just because you think your new budgeting lifestyle can’t handle it. There are plenty of ways to reward yourself that won’t bust your budget. And because you know we’ve got your back, we’ve come up with a solid list of thrifty or free ways to do just that!

Did you know Christmas used to be celebrated for 12 days? Imagine that holiday bill. Twelve long days of presents, feasting, stocking stuffers, figgy pudding, indigestion and tinsel. Seriously. Seven swans a-swimming sounds like no small expense.

Even though Christmas is technically now just the one day, your wallet might feel like it’s still 12. The multiple celebrations and costs can really add up. If you wait until December to prep your budget, you might feel like coal is your only option.

Avoid the coal. We’ve got six steps you can take to budget for an all-cash Christmas.

If you want to win with money, you have to change your behavior with money. The first step is making a budget. The second step is sticking to that budget. 

Ah, there’s the hard part! So, what’s the best way to do that? Track. Your. Transactions.

Seriously. It’s one of the most important budgeting tips we can give you. And here are five reasons why it’s so important to track your transactions:
 

It’s time to destroy a common money myth: Being a natural saver is the only way to be successful with money. Why is this myth hurtful? For one, it can make natural spenders feel like they don’t have a chance to get ahead with money. The truth is, both spenders and savers have their own strengths and challenges. Neither one is better.

Still, when you come together as a couple to start hitting goals and building budgets together, those challenges might feel impossible to get past. They aren’t! No matter if you’re two spenders, two savers, or one of each, you can budget together (and do it well)! Let’s talk about how to make that happen.