How Do You Budget Without A Spreadsheet?

If spreadsheets put you off budgeting entirely, the honest answer is to stop trying to use one. A budget you keep is better than a better budget you abandon in week two.

Three methods that need no spreadsheet

Separate accounts. Wages land in one account. On payday, move fixed costs to a bills account and savings to a savings account. Whatever stays behind is your spending money, and the balance on your phone tells you where you stand without any tracking at all.

Cash envelopes. Draw out the week's spending money and split it by category. When an envelope is empty, that category is done for the week. Blunt, but very hard to ignore.

One weekly number. Work out what you can spend per week after everything else is paid, and check against it once a week. Not per category, just the one figure.

All three need the same starting point: an accurate view of what actually leaves your account each month. Work that out once, here, then pick whichever method you will still be using in six months.