How to Budget as a Family 2024

Now is an ideal time to prepare for next year. Get you diaries & calendars out to get prepared.
Frugal Queen in France
We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.
We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.
Website www.frugalqueeninfrance.com/
Instagram / frugalqueen. .
Equipment used
Camera : iPhone
Editing : iMovie on a Mac mini
Music:
Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com/
Some Sound from Zapsplat.com
KZbin Audio Library
Apple iMovie*

[@kerryberry142]

This year for Xmas our grown kids are getting groceries as they are practical. Been shopping sales last two months and they will all get a month’s worth of food! Some will think it’s silly, but we believe in giving something that is practical and with food prices I know it will help a great deal. The grands get four gifts, something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

That is awesome!

[@bridge7528]

For years I gave my 2 nieces ( in their 20’s) bags of personal care items( shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste). Most of it I bought with coupons and paid very little for. They loved it!

[@maryettabeck1967]

I did the same.very appreciated.i also made one side. Sweet potatoes were .29 cents a pound so they got sweet potatoes souffle. Nice treat.

[@lovechangesus]

One thing I do is keep a calendar on the side of fridge out of sight, but easily accessed, and I note the date of each new item. Dishsoap, for example and then I count back to the last time I opened one. It gives me an 💡 how often I use things up and helps me with my stocking up shopping.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Good idea

[@TheReflectivePerspective]

Yes! I'm terrible with conceiving how much time has passed, so I've started marking the date opened directly on each item with either a dry erase marker or grease pencil (permanent markers smell too strongly for me to use them on food). I've found this helpful for abating food waste as well since I'll think that I opened something 3 days ago, but really, it was five.

[@daytonvalleydeals6056]

I went a step further and put tick marks for each serving to see how much my cappuccino truly costs. I was pleasantly surprised to see I got more out of it than it said.🎉 I'm thinking of doing it for other items as well.

[@TheReflectivePerspective]

@daytonvalleydeals6056 Isn't it an awesome feeling to stretch it?! I have a tendency to cook by sight, and while I'm generally pretty accurate, I realize that may mean I'm not stretching every smidgen out of an ingredient to make it go even farther. I noticed part of it is time efficiency and not wanting to continuously dirty a measuring cup or spoon just for a second's use and wind up creating more dishes that need electricity and water to be done. So, I've slowly invested in duplicate measuring tools from the dollar store, thrift store, and hand me downs that I split out to use in every container. I now have a half cup scoop in my dry cereal and each grain has its own most frequent sized scoop, etc. Every so often, they even come free in some goods and I save them for use in others (like the ones from protein powders). As an added bonus, saving those adds less into the recycling stream, too!

[@seekingtheminimumlevel1830]

I date those types of items when I open them on the package and then record the dates in a spreadsheet so I know when to be ready to purchase more.

[@jbulldogmom]

Determined to have a full, written budget this year, you and Mike are my mentors! Really appreciate your insights

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks

[@jackiehowe8482]

Hello Jane , I am retiring at Christmas from work (part time) but will not get my pension until September so although I am not quite as frugal as yourself I have watched your video's for a long time and take a lot on board of the things you do . I am preparing for retirement and will have to be ultra careful until my pension starts . Thank you for all your tips and experience, it really helps .😊

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

You're welcome

[@Disflop]

The amount of work you two put into these videos to help others is phenomenal! Thank you.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks so much

[@lauravancea3935]

I am all ears, I have a pen and paper...need I say more😊? Thank you Jane and Mike❤

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for watching.

[@sixfigurebookkeeper7588]

Thank you Jane & Mike

[@luba-healthywithluba6866]

Thank you, Jane! That was extremely helpful. We are saving all overtime pay so that we do not get "used" to it. I appreciate your advice to plan ahead for gifts as well as bills and maintenance. Our vehicle insurance has doubled in the last couple of years!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for watching

[@luba-healthywithluba6866]

@@FrugalQueeninFrance My pleasure 🌷

[@seekingtheminimumlevel1830]

Really enjoyed this video. We do something similar but I have everything on a spreadsheet and put all the dates on a Google calendar with reminders to know when things are coming due. We too are planning for additional increases in pet care (old dog with old age issues), insurances and taxes (up 20-25% this year), and other items that keep adjusting up. I recently watched another KZbin video where the person tracked the prices of 25 common grocery items at the Aldi near her for the last two years. Since 2021 the items have increased more than 62%! It does take a lot of creative meal planning and prep to keep those costs under control. Best wishes for a happy, frugal 2024.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

It certainly does.

[@dorisfuchs4708]

Good mornig, Pleased can you tell me the other KZbin chanal? Sounds interesting. I will start to track the prices of my shopping cart too. Blessings from Bavaria germany

[@caroldaviddaviejohnson2225]

Were on the same page with this one Jane! My planner diary has been filled in last week for next year. With several sections apart from the daily diary, I use other sections to enter a monthly budget from Jan-Dec and track every penny, logging all spending as its a great way to see if there's any overspending or overindulgence. I've recently switched to far better insurance deals, opened an 8% interest account to save for a specific event in the future, giving a decent return of essentially free money! When forward planning your budgets for next year if anyone is in the UK, don't forget to include any uprating you may receive to pensions or benefits (if you are in receipt of them) from April to your overall income. I will be saving for a trip for my husband to see the Edinburgh military tattoo, he has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers so has created a bucket list with this trip on it, so that's an important savings goal for next year. I've done all the Xmas shopping and preordered the groceries for delivery in Christmas week. With such health issues now going on in this household, I just feel its even more important to be a step ahead and organised now, as things are going to get very busy over time and as this disease progresses. You've touched on things within all our budgets that are so easy to overlook, and will be so helpful to everyone to have this reminder. I also log in my planner when contracts are set to end, for example Internet etc, so that a good deal can be renegotiated just prior to it ending or start looking for a better switch, otherwise the companies will often automatically just up the monthly cost to full price as soon as the contract runs out. Same applies if anyone subscribes to magazines etc and perhaps got a good offer on the yearly cost, often it goes up to full price at the end automatically, so check the dates and mark it on your planner so you don't end up being hit with an unexpected high bill. Thanks Jane and Mike, always a pleasure to watch👍

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks Carol and my kindest regards to your husband, dementia is so cruel.

[@caroldaviddaviejohnson2225]

@@FrugalQueeninFrance yes it is, the sad irony is that he was a senior staff member on the dementia wing within a care home, so is completely au fait with what lies ahead. Bless you Jane for your kind message, very appreciated ❤️

[@user-yd3jd2em8e]

Baby steps for us, just started reviewing monthly spending. We’ve identified set costs. Next step will be to look at ways to review how much we spend on food. Will concentrate on Menu planning, using our freezer and using what we already have on hand. Will attempt to budget for each month, set budget for food. If all goes well, we’ll try a year budget next year.❤

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Those are great steps

[@user-tm5kc8oq4y]

Very good , will use this, am setting up budget for 2024 now. Trying to cut back on groceries, by your tips. Thank you so much Jane and Mike and Puppies.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

You got this!

[@lisam.8971]

Just found your channel. Thank you for sharing! I have been struggling to make a budget and stay on track with it. Your clear plans and explanations are very helpful! I'm going to follow your method to reach my budgeting goals in 2024. Thank you!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

You are so welcome!

[@user-hd8if7ki2k]

Congratulations on reaching 30 thousand subscribers 🎉

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thank you so much 😀

[@carolined3058]

Planning a budget since couple of years but it went every direction instead of the right one. I'v been on track now for two years. It's not always easy but it gives a lot of financial rest in my head.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

It’s not easy and improves with practice.

[@francesmoseley3316]

Thank you for this information. While I do use a budget, I need to be more specific with certain areas than I have been in the past. I am seriously thinking of retiring at the end of our school year in May (I teach), and I will only have my Social Security (USA) to live on. This format will help me to account for expenses I don' t always think about. I appreciate your hard work.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joycef8443]

As a suggestion, budget to live on what you’ll receive in social security from January on ( if it’s less than what you have now) and see what it is like. Double check the amount you’ll receive, don’t forget to subtract Medicare costs if you will be 65.

[@francesmoseley3316]

@@joycef8443 Thank you for the advice. I am already drawing Social Security as I reached the age for my full retirement amount last year, so I know what I will be getting. I have been putting my salary into savings to build it up. I only work part time, so the school income is not much. And I have been on Medicare for 2 years now. My income level is such that I quialify for additional help with those expenses, so very little out-of-pocket for me. I just have to adjust for no longer having the school income as a buffer. Good advice though for someone who is perhaps not as far along in their process as I am.

[@pamelawalton1255]

Thank you for the video , I found the planning for next year's projected expenses a really useful idea, I usually keep a monthly budgeting log but record it as the month goes along. You have reminded me to look at setting up a sinking fund for the boiler, I put this as one of my targets for this last year but I haven't focused on allocating a dedicated monthly amount to it so need to revise for next year.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Great tip!

[@leedezern6862]

Very thorough and well presented

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Glad you liked it!

[@michellejennings3232]

Thanks, as usual. Terrific reminders of how to factor in changes in sinking funds. I know that i will be moving in 2024 so I am attempting to create my plans for bills and payments that will not change, plus my " best guess" numbers for bills in the town to which i will move. One strategy I have been using in approaching planning for this upcoming move is to do as many " no spend" weeks as possible to put some extra dollars away until I find out what my new costs will be. I am open to suggestions regarding long- term planning for an upcoming year with many unknowns. Thanks.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks so much for your feedback

[@lindajacquot5391]

Thank you! This is very comprehensive and timely.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Glad it was helpful!

[@teresaearl5688]

You are helping us to make a budget, we are still working part time and planning to retire in one year. ❤

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

That's lovely

[@janetbedford7227]

Great vidéo lots of ideas for 2024 I'm already at the end of my first year having a written monthly budget & I'm hooked. Thankyou Jane & Mike for the videos ,inspiration & advice I couldn't have done this without you .

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for your feedback

[@sarahmacrae8277]

I always add check best rates for savings accounts, it may not matter much for sinking funds and the convienence of them being with the same bank as main bill current account but for both short and long term savings there can be huge differences banks like insurance rely on laziness and loyalty to avoid paying best rates in UK many main banks are paying only 1 or 2 % which on a 10000 6 months emergency fund is 150 maybe 200 a year interest but if moved to a 6% account it is 600 which is a whole months food or your Christmas budget. I am just talking secure savings accounts not investments that's a whole other thing. But to me part of being frugal is making sure the money I save is earnings as best as possible.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for sharing

[@Spot4art]

This week we pay all bills and we start fresh in No Spend January 👍

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

We will do our annual no spend Jan /Feb

[@Spot4art]

I just did this today!

[@gailnoll]

Ordered my solar generator (allpowers) should be here Monday. (O:

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

That's great

[@misfit7610]

❤ I'll be doing ours right after Christmas as I'm so busy at the moment. We are having a no spend January to help save extra money for a trip and we really don't need anything so hopefully it will go easier. With the rising costs of basically everything it's going to be an interesting 2024 to say the least. I am meeting up with our daughter this month to help her make a budget as she has decided she wants to be debt free and save for a house. Shes only 25 and I'm so glad she is seeing the light early on! I think its because she has been to a couple of weddings this year and they, the ones who got married, around $30,000 to $40,000 for everything and that was her wake up call of how not to be in debt. That $40,000 is a down payment for a house and she wants that not a crazy high cost wedding. Priorities are everything! Thanks again Jane and Mike for all your hard work keeping all of us out of the poor house 👍!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for sharing

[@elizabethcoates3024]

Great video, you covered all of the details. I double checked my budget while watching this, and you reminded me of something I had missed. Thanks. 😊

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks so much for your feedback

[@maryettabeck1967]

Jane, I had 2 gallons of hot peppers in freezer. Made jam for holiday gifts. Making baskets with 1pound coffee, jam brei.people love home gifts. Less than $10.00 each. Use coupons for coffee and senior day for cheese.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

That is awesome!

[@naomibarton6139]

Will be starting my third year of sinking funds soon. Entirely down to you guys and it has made life so much easier. Still plenty of room for improvements so will be using this video as a reference guide when I get to planning 2024. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Happy to help

[@DC-cd5tv]

Very thorough!!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks so much

[@barbaraattwood2744]

That was a massive help, thanks Jane

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

You're welcome

[@julieemig432]

I am working on a budget for 2024. My first real budget. It’s a lot harder than I thought. I have gotten some great ideas from you. I keep forgetting things . This is my first year in a new home so I’m not sure exactly what some things will cost like my heating. I’m still working on it

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

It takes practice and even I forgot the flea and tick treatment costs this year and will factor them into next year.

[@connietroxell1575]

This is great! I’ve started working on the calendar and budget for next year and this will be helpful! Christmas blessings.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thank you! You too!

[@judyland-obrien4259]

Thank you, Jane and Mike...excellent overview...Best wishes for Christmas and 2024!!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Same to you!

[@juliemoore6957]

Great information! Thank you!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lisahaffner3337]

I cut way back on Christmas. It’s done and wrapped. Had to use my emergency money I had on hand so this year I have to build it back up. Instead of buying a planner this year I got 2 free calendars and use one for planning and keep the pages out of this year’s for extra paper for planning

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for sharing

[@scottwhite1706]

Very useful information! Thank you! -- Mary Kay

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

You’re welcome

[@jackieloreno1818]

Love from India ❤

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

To you too

[@sophiawolthof1238]

👍👍👍

[@razsbags]

Insurance went up by one third here.

[@akmevans1613]

Going to follow this in 2024🤞🏻 quick question, I can’t find your recipes, love your coq au vin.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maS8iYhmjMp0gc0si=MKOzJaSlR0aoQkDl

[@akmevans1613]

Thank you so much

[@roz.russell8122]

Ooh where did you get that calendar please

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Google free printable calendar and choose any

[@karenneary9528]

I too have started my 2024 budget planning. Yes, buy all your calendars now! Jane and Mike, not only are your videos educational but the community you’ve built with people who comment is wonderful. Yep, I read every comment! I’m in Boston 🦞and it’s “brrr”🧤🧣❄️⛄️☃️⛄️.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks so much