Nov./ Dec. 2020 Budget Review and Net Worth Update - Transparent budget, no numbers hidden!

[@EleanorRoseRyan]

Savings will protect you from the Universe being a terrible friend- best quote ever, Sarah

[@LindaASJ]

I just went back to where you started and WOW! You’ve come so far! Your journey is amazing! Much respect

[@louisegilbert4903]

I love how confident you are.

[@poodlegirl55]

It is super impressive.

[@rivinius98]

I’ve been watching you from the beginning. You are a freaking rock star!!!

[@cescabea3]

when i saw your savings and you said "im sure you think im boring" i literally thought to myself "this is so fucking hype". i love your savings.

[@BudgetGirl]

that makes me really happy! thank you for helping me reframe that! Sincerely!

[@TinaLeder]

Bought your *Etsy budget sheet* and it's great, very easy to edit and modify, thank youuuu!!👌❤

[@staciamj1]

making me think about getting it

[@m_mouse7972]

Maybe you already are and I missed it somewhere, but please write a book! It would be amazing to have all your knowledge in a book format. Thanks for sharing your journey!

[@txnurselawlvn]

I agree!

[@blancabenson3741]

Your enthusiasm for budgeting is contagious. I remember seeing one of your videos a long time ago and look at you now! Thank you for taking us along on your financial journey.

[@debbiewenckowski4670]

You are one smart lady!!!! All the very best to you in 2021.

[@ChunkyKittyMedia]

I began watching your channel when you were still paying off student loans and sharing a lot of meal prep videos- it really is amazing to jump back and forth between then and now to see your progress and the evolution of your channel! Keep it going and wishing you all the best! 👍

[@BudgetGirl]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@poodlegirl55]

That you have such a great money relationship with your boy friend is the thing about you that most impresses me. You are such a great example for young women. You just flat out did everything right. I am going to go read your blog post, even though I have been married for 46 years.

[@BudgetGirl]

Thank you so much!!

[@moongirlmoney]

I love that you’re selling your spreadsheets. We love a queen that monetizes everything.

[@BudgetGirl]

... have you heard about my new merch? ;-D

[@moongirlmoney]

@@BudgetGirl OMG MERCH? Goals

[@granitemoss1451]

I really enjoy the joy and pride in yourself you show when you share your progress with all of this. It is infectious and hopefully inspiring to someone just starting to clean up their personal finances.

[@BudgetGirl]

I hope so too!

[@webcompanion]

You're on the right path and taking time to understand all your income and expense streams. Good job! Just keep this up and you will be rewarded in your retirement from your efforts. It's great you are teaching others by sharing like this.

[@Chris-kq3ix]

I'm sure it's been said many times over, but I very much appreciate the level of transparency that you provide. Thank you!

[@BudgetGirl]

My pleasure! thank you so much for watching!

[@Sophie3647s]

This is the best spreadsheet I've seen! Can't wait to implement this for the new year.

[@poodlegirl55]

Give yourself credit, you did go through a huge amount of work to make those PDF's on Etsy and you deserve compensation.

[@Natalie_11188]

What a wonderful month for Budget Girl! You deserve all of the success.

[@BudgetGirl]

Thank you Natalie!

[@OrangeBlob1]

I am a mid century budget girl that just her act together 3 months ago. I am not sure how I lived without savings and now there is no other way to live. Thank you for showing all and doing it in such an easy way to understand the process. Right now I am keeping it simple with Every Dollar but I will up the game when I get the debt down. thank you

[@inea-fijourney22]

Awesome!! I began my journey in June 2020, I have increased my net worth about $24k as welk. its so freaking surprising to see such a change in a couple of months. Wish I had started earlier!

[@180daytotalbodymakeover]

"Go check that out if you are nosey. And I know you are, because you are watching this video." LOL I loved that line! Headed over there now!

[@lightheart2183]

Oh my gosh. My boyfriend drinks monster teas to go work. I just told him about the subscription. It's way cheaper than buying at the grocery store and or gas station per can!

[@mrsbs7146]

Thank you so much for zooming in & your sound is So much better!! I did the exact same thing on my gym membership in November :) Love Buc-ee's! Nice job!!

[@shariwinicki493]

Hello! I am new to your channel. I am almost 70 and carefully budgeted my whole life. I am now comfortably retired after working hard towards it always, just like you. And I loved it, just like you do! Seeing savings and independence grow is SO FUN! One thing I loved doing was paying against my mortgage principal every chance I got. Think about it---every time you put a dollar against it, it is one less dollar you never pay interest on again! Depending on your interest rate, you are actually paying for your house at at least double your purchase price .I liked to think that every dollar against principal was actually $2+ dollars toward my freedom. I sent separate checks, clearly marked to be paid AGAINST PRINCIPAL

[@heathermayfield4247]

Many congratulations Sarah - lovely to see your progress, and for all your hard work to be rewarded.

[@financegrowthjourney9002]

A $20k jump over the year is great, 40% flow from annual wage to net worth! Great video :)

[@BudgetGirl]

thanks!

[@foodfamilyfinancesfun8396]

I Love This!! And I love how you are handling money with your boyfriend. It is Perfect!

[@BudgetGirl]

Thank you!! 😊

[@emilyneuschafer3182]

How was your car buying experience? My Husband and I are on the path to becoming debt free and recently had a transmission problem... We now have to buy another car with cash. The Universe is trying to pull us into more debt! Thank you for the real, transparent video!!

[@michellemorales401]

You're very inspirational to save, save, save! Great month! 👍

[@singleparentfire2363]

You are VERY smart to keep everything with Jacob business like because he is not your husband. Relationships end all the time, protect yourself and your assets 😁.

[@roocknrollqueen]

I would SOO have the same approach if it would be a husband. Marriages fall apart too, why complicate things more

[@cathyfromcanada637]

Thank you for enlarging print size. Now I can read it on my phone instead of staring to almost make it out. Congrats on a good month. Merry Christmas!🎄🎅🇨🇦

[@mitriburiqueza]

I'll be binge-watching your Money beginners playlist because I'm 40 and broke and I really need to change that, you are a total inspiration for me.

[@BudgetGirl]

You got this Noren! One step at a time!

[@carolw4506]

Hi Sarah! Great content, been watching for a while and purchased the budget spreadsheet this morning. Excited to see what I can accomplish in 2021. Thanks for all the inspiration!

[@sarahneill3212]

I bought it last year. I love it.

[@BudgetGirl]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@cvzphotography]

Just read the blog post. Dang, people are freaking rude! Keep grinding and don't let the negativity get you down! My girlfriend and I have a similar situation where I work on updating the house and rental property. Win win for both of us.

[@jarehares]

Budgeting does work. I’m glad I got started.

[@carolynsmyth9651]

Great job! Love how organized you are. Keep sharing new videos please!

[@vmpapillon8984]

Your videos always motivate me to tackle an outstanding finance issue on my list, so thank you! I definitely still have room for an improvement in tracking everything - I don't do it consistently enough. And still a beginner in investing and diversifying income streams. But well, it's a journey. As for savings- I definitely agree! They give me peace of mind.

[@BudgetGirl]

I'm so glad!

[@jenniferdamp1600]

So very happy for you!!! Hard work and dedication always pays off. God bless you.

[@A222Z]

This is a very helpful & informative video .. especially liked the detailed breakdown on your spreadsheet. .. my budget is extremely simple w/ 5 categories = 5 accts in bank .. i use a credit card that gives earnings on purchases for personal spending (food, supplies, phone, etc)- card has sm limit & is paid off every month. I currently live on 20-30% of my income, give about 15-25%, and Invest or save the rest(so roughly 50%) But I've always been curious about the breakdown on food, supplies, clothing, etc & what I'm purchasing the most. .. I Enjoy your videos.

[@michelleguzmanphoto]

I really enjoyed this budget video! So cool to see how far you've come!

[@stephy8429]

I make $1,600 a month now, this video is very encouraging!!

[@BudgetGirl]

I'm so glad!

[@melaniesmith1928]

Thanks so much for sharing as always! Congrats on the increase.

[@BudgetGirl]

Thanks so much!

[@CarrieYoung887]

Yay! Just purchased the net worth tracker - so excited to use it and happy to support you since I’ve learned so much!!! Thank you!

[@BudgetGirl]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@CoachMichelle9]

I love to see such a empowerment woman just like you, you are amazing my friend

[@lindamactavish6658]

Well done on your progress and so inspiring too x

[@GorillaGamingChannel]

Great video - thanks for being transparent x

[@Jodi9810]

Inspiring - congratulations on all your successes!

[@BudgetGirl]

Thank you so much!

[@VictoriaChama]

I bought your Net Worth Tracker and I love it so much. It works perfectly even for someone like me in Zambia, Africa

[@BudgetGirl]

that is so wonderful to hear Victoria! If you would leave a review on etsy, I'd be super grateful! It really helps!

[@VictoriaChama]

@@BudgetGirl I will definitely leave a review

[@canyouspellophthalmology]

I love your spreadsheets!! Keep up the great work 😄

[@BudgetGirl]

Glad you like them!

[@gramcracker1616]

Great job Sarah!! 👵

[@rachelcarter2443]

Yay - you are doing so great.

[@doodleacademy]

Another awesome video...thank you for sharing :) And have you considered creating a course on budgeting?

[@BudgetGirl]

Maybe one day!

[@janetlandry-lucey5386]

Hi Sarah. I’ve commented many times over years! But just thought I would tell you that you have been so instrumental in our debt free journey snd now I am sharing your videos with a good friend who is just starting❣️ QUESTION: Do you have any videos helping others to start a you tube channel. I would really love to do, but on a shoestring budget!! I have an iPhone and I Laptop (not Apple). And motivation. One of my favorite pastimes is watching KZbin!! I LOVE to learn and it is priceless for learning for sure. Hope I hear back somehow 🌹

[@staciamj1]

Good for you. The hell with ignorant people who live in a fantasy world. Jacob is not your husband, he is your boyfriend. Hell even marriages are contracts. Misery loves company. Keep doing what your are doing. If he doesn't like it he can go and get his own place. God bless you. You are an inspiration.

[@patriciashayes5929]

Love the reminder that marriages are contracts!

[@kristinshutt6355]

I’ve been with you since the beginning💕 curious on Jacob’s opinions on debt/wealth building and if it has an effect on your relationship if different from yours?

[@BudgetGirl]

I'm going to save this question and ask him on camera :-)

[@sarahwilson9619]

Congratulation Sarah, 🎉🎈so proud of you. You are very inspiring and we are name sake, even super proud💃💃

[@BudgetGirl]

How cool! Hello fellow sarah wilson!

[@sandrafromscotland]

Thanks for sharing Sarah 👍 Savings 👏Do you have a colouring chart for your Duplex efund? "Budgeting works" love that. Look forward to your annual one.

[@imma_cat]

Super inspirational! Thank you BG!

[@Drugs_Explained]

Good 4 you with the investments.

[@lizgetsloaded9140]

The last month has been awesome! I inched a bit closer to financial independence too!

[@BudgetGirl]

whoooo!

[@thatsneato5938]

Mad respect for the way you handle finances with your boyfriend. Obviously, your critics have never had a bad breakup or messy parting of ways. There are legal implications that nobody thinks about when they’re ‘in love’.?Marriage is legally binding and ‘uncoupling’ ishouldnt be any different. It helps to have clear lines from the beginning. Budget Girl, you are very transparent and some people can’t handle that. I have more of an issue with the person that doesn’t pay any bills in a living situation. Your boyfriend is probably paying way less than he would if he was living on his own.

[@BudgetGirl]

He definitely is! thanks for watching and your considered comment!

[@candace7745]

This is awesome and you have done so well congratulations

[@BudgetGirl]

Thank you so much!

[@suel2333]

You’re doing a great job! You’re so smart to learn these financial values while you’re young. Keep it up! I notice you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. Does your local library have the Libby app? There are tons of e-books you can check out for free. And since you ditched the gym club membership (I did too), be sure to get other kinds of exercise and invest in your health, one of the finest resources you have. God bless your efforts!

[@BudgetGirl]

I use both my local library and KU as i'm a voracious reader!

[@rochellethundercloud346]

A bit of advice,have a tenant/landlords rights lawyer on deck.you might need it.especially with non paying tenants./squatters. Also,document all your rental properties,before you repair/renovate,and after.it will protect you in the long run.renters,please record and document walk through,move in,all repairs,including maintenance request,the job,with timestamp,when you reorganize furniture,move out.

[@granitemoss1451]

Wow, that's really cool about the BUzzfeed article, congrats!

[@rochellethundercloud346]

Very smart .plan ahead in case ish goes down.this way,nobody is taken advantage of.its the pre prenup prenup.lay everything out,write it all down,sign,other party signs,preferably with a witness,such as a lawyer,to be certain its all legally documented

[@ageisonlyanumber8334]

I am a financial planning assistant in my day job, we have a widowed female client who has to have $500,000 in cash to feel safe from the world. You do what you must to comfortable in your day to day life. the one piece of internet mother advice I will give you is to consider putting and extra $100 or $200 per month in principal payments to your home. This early in the loan it will make a HUGE difference in the long haul and the cash outlay will not disrupt any of your long term goals at this point. I know you want to buy a house in a few years. You may wait longer that you think you will right now. Even once you do start that search you will want to find just the right one and that may take some time, too. You will be making that property more yours and less the bank's with every extra payment. Just something to consider as an added series of videos on the channel.

[@moongirlmoney]

Omg another Sarah! Hehe hi I am also Sarah

[@FrugalEnthusiast]

Thank you for your fabulous content!

[@BudgetGirl]

My pleasure!

[@safepethaven]

Yes, spreadsheet visibility is improved, thank you. I still struggle with text over colored shading [i.e. less than high contrast] because I am legally blind and nothing is easy.

[@kaitlinobrien243]

And yes inspiring 💜

[@jungwhat]

Wow! What a great find on fb marketplace! (Bathroom cabinets)

[@BudgetGirl]

Right?!

[@InfluentialFinance]

That’s spreadsheet you have goin on looks awesome! Would love to see a video to help me put something like that together! I currently use YNAB and I like it, but having a spreadsheet would definitely be more flexible. Or do you make that available to download? I’m a newer sub so have to take a look at your other videos.

[@BudgetGirl]

both of these are available in my etsy shop! they're linked in this video description and if you use the code "f2020" you can get 15% off!

[@kaitlinobrien243]

You are doing fantastic 🇨🇮💚🇨🇮

[@MGH1208]

Hi, Do you have a video where you talk and explain about Acorns ? Do you recommend Acorns ? Thanks for sharing all your great information ❤️

[@frugaldutchmom1359]

From debt free scream to dream. Your businesses are doing well, your savings rate on your day job is healthy, well done. I love how hard and smart you work. The money in the sinking funds vs the mortgage left made me "ooh" at first. But on second thought, with the low intrest rates on savings and mortgages, you are buying yourself a lot of peace of mind for little. Once the money is the house, it would cost way more money to get it out for an emergency. Does Jacob also have a business next to his day job or is that not his thing? (My husband never wants to own a business anymore and uhm... (... cough....) that shows insight.)

[@shelbylengwenat3774]

Awesome job hitting the 10,000 Personal E-fund goal!!!! Also love that you have roughly the same in cash savings as you do in investing

[@soitsmelaura]

Congrats on sales from the bed to the article

[@soitsmelaura]

Buzz feed Dang auto correct

[@jenXgen8589]

How do you plan on savings, not keeping fiat (cash) currency when the "big reset" happens, in any bank accounts? Assuming you are aware of the losses to tax increases and the deflation of th USD? Are you mentioned M1finace. Are you invested in stocks, bonds, cryoro or gold... How would you manage liquidity when you need it fast?

[@jonnaborosky8836]

Congrats, Sarah! Go YOU! How did you start financial coaching and how did you figure out a fee to charge? Have wanted to start coaching. Thanks

[@Sophie3647s]

What is an IRA Wealth Simple Account and how is it different from the Roth IRA?

[@MindBodyVoice]

What happened to your Ellevest account? You did a couple of updates, but I do not remember seeing a final video on how that $1000 investment did. Thanks. Great video, as always. Love your channel :)

[@BudgetGirl]

Hi! I did one final video, the account went up about 12%, which is decent! However I have since pulled my money out of that account and no longer recommend them as a roboadvisor. They've changed their business model from charging the standard .25% fee to a subscription model that charges $1-20 per month for a bunch of additional "services" like access to articles that no one needs or wants.

[@beeper2100]

I may have missed this, but do you keep all of your sinking funds/emergency funds/savings in normal or high interest bank accounts, or do you keep some of it in high interest mutual funds so that you are earning more passive income off of money that you likely won’t be touching for a while?

[@BudgetGirl]

just a HYSA right now!

[@robynhopehome9367]

I’ve never done a budget. We are a household of five. Where do I begin?

[@BudgetGirl]

Howdy! I have a budgeting for beginners playlist just for you! kzbin.info/aero/PLH0k0rlQA6Db04PjJmICCZiaf7nF6szRm GOOD LUCK! and also check out my other vids - you can do it!

[@Clairelaferret]

You're in the right place to start. Welcome to your first step on the road to the universe slapping you less, or at least the slaps stinging less. Watch Buget Girl's playlist, and if you get overwhelmed, take a break. Getting to budgeting is important, but don't put so much pressure on yourself that you quit before you start. Also it's important to know that the first budgets you make will be hard and confusing and won't go entirely according to plan and that it 110% NORMAL! You're making progress and we're proud of you!

[@robynhopehome9367]

Thx so much. I feel like I can do this. Just need to find a way to allocate/ automate and have different accounts so everything is not in my checking. Your videos have been very helpful

[@lauriestueart6031]

Good hair length for you 👍

[@NyxAtNight9029]

Okay. I need to pay better attention! I had no idea you work for A&M. We live just down the road from A&M, right near the Brazos River on five acres!

[@BudgetGirl]

well howdy neighbor! if you ever see me in the wild, i'd love to say hi!

[@BudgetGirl]

"the wild" being HEB. :-D

[@teresateresa8933]

Wondering why the monster sub part of this at all? I know it’s only 35 but should it be income if you put it out and he’s just paying it back?

[@BudgetGirl]

because its a cost that i pay that he pays me back for... if it wasn't there, we'd likely forget about it. The whole point of budgeting is writing all income and expenses down so you don't forget to account for stuff and end up with either money floating around with no job and that you're not paying for anything you dont need or remember.

[@teresateresa8933]

@@BudgetGirl oh I didn’t realize you wrote it as in coming and out going money, I only saw it under your in coming section, along with his rent. So somewhere there you also had it under your expenses too, I missed that part..

[@BudgetGirl]

@@teresateresa8933 I understand the confusion! Jacob "expenses" is a small box at the top right next to my income. I pay all the bills, but that totals up his share, tracks when he pays and then in the income box it takes that number in as income. It's a fairly simple system, but it works for my brain!

[@teresa4565]

@@BudgetGirl I get what you did I just find it odd that if you lend Jacob money (which essentially that's what the cost of paying for his monster sub), why it would be included as income to you (part of the rent he paid). If I lend someone money and they pay it back, it's just moving money around, out of my account to the borrower and back into my account when it's paid back) - in my world it never becomes part of my income. The fact that it was just $35 makes it not a big deal but what if it was $3500, you wouldn't put your income from Jacob under his payment of rent as $4000. To me income is new money that comes in - not replacement money that I took from my savings to pay. No worries, I think you don't get what I'm saying but that's ok.

[@BudgetGirl]

​@@teresa4565 Maybe you're saying it looks like i'm artificially inflating my income? It's a non-rent cost he pays and it equals out to $0, but for me it makes sense to put it in that same box with his other costs rather than input it into my personal spending budget and then cancel it out each month when he "pays me back" - fortunately as you said, its $35. everything else in that box is money i would have to pay if he weren't here (minus some energy usage), so it counts as income since i don't have to pay it out of my income. At the end of the day each of us can set up our budgets how we like and works, I get that the way mine is wouldn't work for others!

[@maryannrogers8675]

Are you making extra payments towards the principal on your mortgage each month?? I have a 20 year mortgage and pay extra towards principal each month.

[@BudgetGirl]

only a very small extra payment right now. I will have a video on all the details and plans for my duplex including exploring all the money coming out today!

[@maryannrogers8675]

I just watched for newest video today. Thank you for explaining yourself. Congratulations on your home purchase. I’ve been watching you ever since you lived in Mena. You’ve come such a long way in your wealth building journey.

[@tabathawagner9887]

I had to write a letter to planet fitness explaining that I needed to cancel my son's membership as he is an adult now and is in basic training 1400 miles away. I couldn't believe I needed to do that. I do not have respect for places that make it difficult to cancel a membership or subscription.

[@BudgetGirl]

That is nuts! I know their business model depends on it and they'd lose millions if you could just call in and cancel but yeah, ugh.

[@foodfamilyfinancesfun8396]

No video on camping?

[@BudgetGirl]

nope - tech free retreat!

[@NH-xw3rd]

I need your ibotta referral code! I clicked the link but still asks for referral code.

[@BudgetGirl]

oh goodness, thank you for telling me! its psranwv. :-)

[@lydiadavies7073]

how come your thumb nail of video couple months ago says 75k net work and this one 13k? Did you lose money

[@BudgetGirl]

it says UP $13k.

[@HERway-sk2mb]

👍👍

[@bestsistersforeva]

Do you use an escrow account or do you pay insurance directly? I'm curious on your take on this. Thank you

[@brandirivera2599]

Are you waiting for you houses emergency found to be at 100% to start throwing extra at baby step 6?

[@BudgetGirl]

I might not do that actually. this is intended to be a rental property, so i'll likely save for another house and turn this into a monthly cashflowing rental/ income source!

[@patriciashayes5929]

@@BudgetGirl I know the interest paid on your investment property will give you awesome tax benefits, but doesn't it drive you nuts to see so little of your payment going to principal? Speaking of taxes, did I miss it, or do you not have a fund for income tax?

[@pammasheppard1338]

I'm sure you might have mentioned this since your house purchase but I can't remember.... are you paying any extra towards your mortgage principal?

[@crookedbiden9788]

Thinking about buying your budget but don’t have a lot of bills to paid

[@BudgetGirl]

Few bills is a blessing! You can still track your income, savings, side hustles and goals progress! If you choose to buy, use code "f2020" for 15% off through the end of the year!

[@bruce5895]

Tip # 8 for saving your money, do repairs yourself, find out how on utube.

[@Europa1749]

What good is money and success if you grow older and are not in good health.

[@michellemorales401]

You're very inspirational to save, save, save! Great month! 👍