TL·Academy
Course · Foundation

Budgeting basics

A budget is not a diet. It is a plan for what you already have coming in, so that the important things are covered first and the rest is yours to enjoy without guilt. This course shows you how to build one, how to choose a method that fits the way you actually live, and what to do when a month goes differently from the plan, because one will.

Lessons

Lesson 1 is open to everyone. Lessons 2 to 6 unlock with the course and arrive by email as a PDF pack together with the worksheet.

  1. 01
    Where does it go?Sorting two months of spending into six categories. Most people find one surprise.
    Open · read now
  2. 02
    Fixed, variable and occasionalHousing is fixed, groceries vary, and the annual bill arrives once a year and upsets the plan unless you expect it.
    6 min
  3. 03
    Three methods compared50/30/20, envelopes and zero-based budgeting. What each is good at, and which one suits irregular income.
    9 min
  4. 04
    Building next month's budgetFill the worksheet line by line. Income first, then fixed costs, then a realistic variable figure, then what is left.
    8 min
  5. 05
    When the month goes differentlyGoing over in one category is normal. How to rebalance mid-month instead of giving up.
    5 min
  6. 06
    The 30-day planOne small action a week: a check-in, one bill reviewed, one occasional cost added to the plan, one review.
    4 min

Who it is for

Anyone who has never kept a budget, or has started one several times and stopped. It assumes nothing.

What it is not

It does not tell you how much to spend on anything. Those are your decisions. It does not cover anything that depends on your personal circumstances; for that, a qualified professional is the right place to go.