There is no financial freedom without a clear budget strategy. Being creative isn’t an option when it comes to fixed expenses, paying off loans, or saving money. That’s why a family budget is essential, both for current and future expenses. With the best budgeting tips, you can plan ahead for your children, but you will always be ready for any emergency, even thanks to strategies like investing in cryptocurrency and tax breaks. And for a well-deserved family vacation. 

However, things don’t always go according to plan. That’s why there are ways to stick to a budget which involve everyone in the household. Here are useful tips on how to plan a family budget. 

Learn (and teach) about good money habits

You are never too old or too young to learn about good finance. To promote the best budgeting tips, it’s important to teach your children about good money habits. First, you start with the basics, slowly making your way towards explaining money and its value. How? By showing kids the receipts and their amount. 

“By doing it over and over again, it became a habit to them,” said Chase Peckham, director of community outreach for the San Diego Financial Literacy Center to Forbes,”it became a habit to them. As they got older, they started to understand.” And that’s the introduction to money. 

When everyone understands the value of money, it’s time to teach two more values: 

• Saving money
• Earning an income

Children can earn some money and not just from the tooth fairy. You can assign them small chores like folding the laundry, walking the family pet, or cleaning the swimming pool. Then, it’s time to learn and to teach about making smart spending decisions. Your family needs to learn how to manage money. So, focus on the needs before focusing on the wants.

“I wanted them (the kids) to make decisions about what they were willing to pay for and what they weren’t,” said Peckham, “I want them to realize, for every choice they make, there will be a repercussion. Personal finance is about decisions.” And this is true for both the children and the adults of the household. 

What’s next?

Budgeting tips: start investing

Once again, this is true for everyone in the family. Indeed: saving money isn’t enough.  Children can have their own accounts and, if they are minors, custodial accounts. On the other hand, adults can choose among different assets and they might want to consider investing in cryptocurrency while checking relevant statistics like the Bitcoin price check with paybis. In general, investing is good financial behavior, 

Setting an example for everyone in the household ensures everyone will follow in each other’s footsteps. Investing is a precious financial tactic to make sure you have enough funds in the future. Since this strategy is a long-term one, it’s better to make investments and then let them brood. 

Ways to stick to a budget: practice what you preach

If you preach about savings to your children, your partner, or your grandma but you don’t do it, then sticking to the family budget will become difficult. Teaching everyone about good money habits it’s important. Investing in cryptocurrency or other assets is just as important. However, it’s more important to follow through. You have to set an example for everyone to follow. That's one of the main ways to stick to a budget. 

The best budgeting apps

If it all sounds too good to be true, consider using a smartphone or computer app. These apps can help you keep track of your transactions, set goals, and check your expenses. And you can create one communal account, accessible to everyone in the family. Here are some of the best apps to stick to a family budget:

• PocketGuard, which allows you to sync different bank accounts. The app considers details such as expenses and income to help your budgeting with tips and ideas. While the subscription to PocketGuard isn’t free, this is a useful app for everyone. 
• Spendless, which is an expense tracker budget and money manager. In the ways to stick to a budget, this app can really help. Users can set limits, targets, and sync the app to the family’s smartphones -even the children’s. Since Spendless even works offline, it’s accessible anytime and everywhere. 
• Goodbudget, available for both iOS and Android, it’s a simpler app but still efficient. Users can even download the financial reports in CSV format to have them always ready. Plus, you can sync up to 5 mobiles. 

While there are more apps for budgeting, these three are a good starting point. 

With these simple budgeting tips, sticking to a family budget is easy. And it can even be fun.