4 tips if you struggle to stay on budget

Woman buying an ice cream cone using tap and pay at outdoor cafe — You can ensure your spending stays within your means while still allowing for a little fun

(Image credit: Tara Moore / Getty Images)

Building a smart budget is only helpful if you actually follow through with it. But that can be easier said than done, especially in the summer. This time of year, it's all too tempting to say yes to a little more fun — maybe a last-minute beach getaway or another round of drinks on a perfectly sunny day.

The more you push your savings and spending goals, however, the longer it will take you to reach your big picture financial goals, be it saving for a down payment on a house or making sure you can retire when you want to. Try these tips to stay on track the next time you are tempted to stray.

1. Reassess your budget to ensure it is actually realistic

Before beating yourself up for failing to stay on budget, take another look at the budget you created to make sure it is actually realistic. Many times, "people sit down and create a budget that just isn't realistic for them," said The Balance. For instance, "you may set a number for how much you spend per week on groceries that is too low, based on your current lifestyle," or you might "underestimate the amount of gas you need per month to commute to work and run errands."

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To ensure your budget is setting you up for success rather than failure, plan to "track all your expenses for a month or two," as "this will show you what you are spending and where," said Bob Chitrathorn, vice president of Wealth Planning By Bob Chitrathorn, to Kiplinger. Build your budget around that, rather than some idealized version of your spending.

2. Make sure your budget leaves a little room for fun

While it is important to ensure your spending stays within your means, it is not practical to expect yourself not to have any fun. Instead of treating those expenditures as slips from your budget, why not add them into your budget in the first place?

If you are on a very tight budget, the amount allocated to fun may not be large, but still, that "small amount can help stop you from blowing your budget by giving up on your budget and blowing hundreds one weekend," said The Balance, as often "this extra little bit of money can prevent you from feeling deprived, which can lead to overspending."

3. Regularly check in with your spending and budget

Your work is not done once your budget is created. Rather, budgeting is "a process that you'll need to repeat on a regular basis," said SmartAsset, whether that is adjusting for changes in income after you get a new job or accounting for a planned uptick in dining expenses during a nice vacation. "Taking a few minutes a day or an hour a week to review your finances can keep bills from slipping through the cracks and give you an idea of how well you're keeping to your budget," SmartAsset added.

Similarly, it is helpful to stay on top of your spending, so you are actually aware of how your purchases can add up. "Writing down that $3 cup of coffee or the $10 you spent on lunch may seem tedious at first, but it can be a real eye-opener when it comes to making your budget," said SmartAsset. Otherwise, "you could be nickel and diming yourself into the red if you're not careful."

4. Keep your goals in mind

Budgeting can feel like a pointless exercise in self-control if you forget why you are doing it to begin with — so be sure to remind yourself. "Understanding what your priorities are provides some much-needed direction that will help you manage your cash more effectively," said SmartAsset.

Think of your budget as working in service of your end goals, and see how you can adapt it to best serve them. As an example, "if you're trying to pay off high-interest credit cards you'll want to look for ways to cut your nonessential spending so you can redirect the money toward your debt," whereas "if you're saving up for a down payment on a home your budget should reflect your time frame for reaching your goal," said SmartAsset.

Becca Stanek has worked as an editor and writer in the personal finance space since 2017. She previously served as a deputy editor and later a managing editor overseeing investing and savings content at LendingTree and as an editor at the financial startup SmartAsset, where she focused on retirement- and financial-adviser-related content. Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.