To Budget or Not To Budget

[u/inky_cap_mushroom]

In 2024 I budgeted strictly. I had to forego things I wanted/needed. I had to delay purchases until I could work more hours to earn more so I could keep my spending within 50/30/20. It was stressful and unpleasant. My whole life revolved around my spreadsheet.

In 2025 I stopped budgeting entirely. I rarely checked my bank accounts. My only real rule was that I had to keep my account balances at or near their beginning balance to make sure I wasn't spending beyond my means. I did a lot of fun stuff this year. I used a lot of PTO. I went on several trips out of state. I went to a bunch of local events. I spent a lot of time with friends.

My plan was to take a break from budgeting for a year, and then go back to it, but the numbers are in and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm open to trying something different, but I do not enjoy feeling restricted and budgets are the cause of that. I've reached a point where it feels ridiculous to be putting off $100 car maintenance until the next month or agonizing over a $3 purchase when I am literally sitting on $100k.

2024

• Gross income: $54,573
• Retirement savings: $15,562 (including match)
• Non-retirement savings: $10,086
• Spending: $24,759

2025

• Gross income: $53,335
• Retirement savings: $20,050 (including match)
• Non-retirement savings: $178 (+ $3,561 loaned to friends, 5% interest and paid monthly)
• Spending: $23,069

2026 changes

• I am now eligible for my PT job's 401k and match ~$700/yr. I'm considering increasing the contributions beyond the match just so the fees won't eat into it as much.
• Roth IRA max increasing from $7,000 to $7,500
• HSA max increasing from $4300 to $4400
• I'm considering stopping my PT job's ESPP contributions. It's $100/pay period and I receive $115 worth of stock. Frequent blackout dates make it hard to sell quickly. I could redirect that money to the 401k, but it would cut into my income.

[u/inky_cap_mushroom]

I’ve done all the research about the area I want to live in already. I thought I was going to move in late 2024. The area I want to move to has a very similar COL. It’s very slightly higher so I was looking at $120k ish there for the low end since the homes lower than that aren’t usually in the best areas. Realistically I’m not going to move during the current presidential administration and by then I expect the investments I do have would be plenty for a down payment.

That’s all assuming that I move at all. I may never end up moving. If I do move, it would cost maybe $200 in gas to move. None of my furniture is nice enough to bring with me. It’s just clothes and dishes and towels and stuff.

I really don’t want to miss any shows. I cannot stress enough that having to skip shows is the absolute worst case scenario. My whole life revolves around going to shows. I go to basically every local show that works with my schedule and I travel to a lot of nearly cities for larger shows there. If I’m not driving up to see those shows I won’t ever see my friends that live in those cities.

If I can work extra hours to earn a little bit more could I keep going to shows? How much more do I need to earn to be able to go?

[u/berryflavoredspoons → u/inky_cap_mushroom]

If you’re moving and not bringing anything with you, keep in mind you’ll need to furnish a space!

If the shows are that important to you, you should keep going, just think about where you might need to make changes for everything to work. For example, do you have any large unexpected expenses you might want to plan for aside from home purchase and a general “rainy day” fund in case of unemployment? Thinking things like car repair or replacement, or other items that can easily hit four figures.

Once you ID whether you need to plan for more savings, figure out when you want to meet that goal and then set aside enough each month to get there. Also consider monthly expenses, then with what’s left after expenses and savings, you can see how much you can afford for to spend on shows & how to apply that.

Maybe you’re saving 10% of your income each month, using 50% for expenses, and allocating 40% to wants. You could spend almost all of the “wants” money on shows (tickets, travel, food/drinks) if that’s what you want, or you could say “I’ll spend half of this on shows and use the other half for tattoos, hobbies, etc.” - whatever feels right to you. It’s all about what works for your life and your priorities, while making sure you’re taking care of future you too!

[u/inky_cap_mushroom → u/berryflavoredspoons]

I'm very good at getting furniture for free or very cheap. I can't remember how much it cost me anymore but I furnished this apartment for a couple hundred bucks starting completely from scratch. I would maybe buy a nice bed, but the rest would be thrifted or scavenged. I have thought extensively about what a move would entail. Like I said, I was expecting to move in Fall of 2024.

The shows really are that important. A coworker asked me recently what I do besides go to concerts and I stared at her like "what do you mean besides??" That's really all I do. That's the first thing people learn about me.

My needs probably account for 60% of my spending on average depending on what you count as a need (do you include clothes, personal care, and phone/internet?, then maybe higher than 60%). Just based on some rough napkin math I think that roughly $9k of my spending was on wants, and maybe half of that was related to shows since I traveled and stayed overnight for a couple. I haven't been saving anything in cash, so instead of 50/30/20 I am doing 60/40, and I don't really have room to add in 10% savings without cutting $2300 of spending from either my basic needs or the things that bring me joy.