It's been almost two months down to the day since I graduated from college. I can't lie and say that the back-to-college bedding sales and $2 binders at Walmart don't make me a little nostalgic. I miss school. A LOT. Heck, I'd even venture to say that I am (slightly) jealous of all of my friends who get to go back to school. Maybe I'm green with envy because I feel like I'm too old for those "Back In Session" parties and would love another reason to dress up. (We all know that the first day of school is 10% meeting your new professors and 90% seeing people you haven't talked to since May. You gotta look good.) But still, even though this is the first fall semester that won't be spent in a classroom or enjoying free football games, I truly believe that recent grad life is better than college.

Like many of my millennials, working during college wasn't optional. In order to pay for my rent, groceries, utilities and every college girl's favorite accessories (i.e. textbooks), I had to get a job. Even though I kinda learned how to keep track of my money, budgeting has always been hard for me. I would pay my rent, give my roommate my utility money and just blow the rest. As long as I had something left over to eat (mostly Ramen noodles and Chef Boyardee ravioli), it didn't seem like budgeting was that important. Until I got a real job.
After joining the "real world," I learned that this life isn't everything MTV made it out to be. In fact, it kinda sucks. Fun facts: a 401k is the real deal and even normal people like me need to start an investment portfolio. If your face looks anything like what mine looked like when I talked to my financial advisor, don't worry: I'll get you the details on all that stuff soon enough. Right now, however, I've decided to work on an in-depth guide to budgeting with a primary focus on the people that really need it: my recent grad family.

Read Your Bank Statement
Yes, it sucks. No, you don't wanna see all of the times you visited McAllister's or Panera Bread last month. Oh well. Open it up and take a serious look at everything you spend your money on. My bank statement makes me very sad but it was probably the most important thing I could have done. Sure, I check my bank account on my phone through an app but opening up your statement online & printing it out makes it ten times more real.

Write It Down
Income
Your income is just as important in budgeting as your expenses. I break down my budget by paycheck so I wrote down exactly (down to the cent) how much I would get paid every two weeks. That way, I can decide how much I need to spend per pay period, rather than the entire month. *Remember to include all income* I have a very lackadaisical part time job that pays me about $150 every month. That doesn't amount to too much but it's definitely something that I can put into my savings or splurge with to buy some new clothes for work. Do you blog? If your blog brings in income, however sporadic it may be, write that down as well.
Expenses: The Necessities
What do you have to pay for? Not getting your hair or nails done every month or the weekly happy hour dates with your friends. Rent, water bill, light bill, phone bill, car insurance/taxes and, yes, groceries. (Obviously - you gotta eat to live.) My water and light bill tend to fluctuate but never more than a couple of dollars so estimate the highest possible rate for those two. The last time you went to the grocery store did you get what you needed or were you feeling fancy and sprung for the expensive ice cream sandwiches? Make a serious estimate about how much you spend monthly on your groceries using your bank statement (see why that was important?).

Expenses: Kinda Important
Now, think of everything that's kinda important to you. I'm not the type of girl to get my nails done every two weeks but I'll have a panic attack if I don't go to my hairdresser at least once every two months. So, "hair" goes right into the budget. If going out to dinner once a week with your college friends is important, put that in there! When I started my grown-up job? I had two pairs of work pants and three dresses. Work appropriate tops were in short supply for me but I made due with what I had. In the beginning, I had to add a section to my budget for clothing, but only the stuff I really needed. Did I love that dress I saw in Charlotte Russe last week? Of course. But unless it's work appropriate, it ain't in the budget.
Also, a lot of my friends and sorority sisters have been getting engaged or buying houses which calls for housewarming parties and showers galore. Spending 30 bucks on presents for all of these parties isn't plausible for me right now, but making sure that I have a little bit allotted to at least get a $10 or $15 gift card can be.

Create Your Spreadsheet
If I didn't have someone to help me create this spreadsheet, I probably would have failed myself. Soooooo here's a couple of templates! I found one on Financegirl's website and attempted to use it when I was in college but seeing as how I was living paycheck to paycheck and stacking up on Ramen noodles, budgeting wasn't my first priority. When I sat down with my financial advisor, she was able to make me a spreadsheet that wasn't as pretty but still very helpful! I've provided that document here: Free Spending Plan Download 

Inputting the Info
For Paycheck 1 and 2 (and possible 3), put in the actual dates that you get paid
Change the titles in A3 & A4 to your actual employers
In E3 and E4, put the total monthly amount (after taxes) that you make for each (That balance will show up in E5)
In F3 and F4, put the amount that you will make for each pay period. In other words, when you check your direct deposit that morning, what will you see? Do the same thing for G3 and G4
*If you do not have more than one employer (i.e. more than one job), don't worry about row 4*

Once you've got all of your income taken care of, start inputting all of your expenses in the corresponding categories. First, input how much you spend on a monthly basis in column D, then break that up by paycheck. (For example: if you pay $100 per month on gas, allot $50 for your first paycheck and the other 50 for your second. Put those amounts in the correct row in columns F & G).

After filling in your expenses, fill in their corresponding due date in column B. (Ex. My rent is due on the 1st and my car insurance is due on the 15th) In Row 34, you'll see all of your expenses per pay period and in row 36, you'll see how much you have left over after all of your previously stated expenses are paid.

Putting It To Work
That's it! now that you've actually made the budget, STICK TO IT. Track your spending by holding onto receipts or using the envelope system. I personally like holding onto my receipts and adding another row to my spreadsheet for each purchase so I see how much money I really have left. Sticking to your plan after you've started it is really the most difficult part but with a little discipline, I promise it'll make a huge different! Trust me, after actually seeing the funds leave your account, you'll be very careful where you spend your money.