Learn how to budget with Mint effectively using this step-by-step tutorial. Budgeting with Mintand sticking to it is easy! Let’s get started!
T oday I’m sharing another one of the simple shifts that transformed my ability to finally stick to a budget and get out of debt fast.
I’ve previouslyshared that I use Mint.com to track my expenses for free. Today I’m showing you exactly how to use Mint effectively to manage my zero sum budget.
Mint is not perfect for this purpose, but it is free, as opposed to some of the other options out there.
When we were laser focused on getting out of debt, there was no way I was going to drop $60 on YNAB or even more for other budgeting software!
Instead, I figured out a way to hack Mint so I could use it for a zero sum budget. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy.
The good news is, now that I have it figured out, I’m going to share what I learned with you and hopefully save you the pain of doing it yourself!
What is a zero-sum budget?
First off you might be wondering, what is a zero sum budget, anyway?And how does it help you stay on budget?
Well, you’re probably familiar with the concept of budgeting: You go through each of your budget categories and assign an amount you plan to spend in each.
Here’s a subtle difference that took us from years of budgeting attempts and failures into fast budget success!
I used to think that if I set aside a buffer in our budget, there’d be enough left overin case we went over in any given category.
WRONG!
It just gave us license to go over in many budget categories, every month!
Instead, I learned the simple but amazingly effective technique of Zero Sum Budgeting.
Here’s how it works:
Start out with your total expected take home income for the month. Then, assign each and every dollar of your income to one of your budget categories. Put another way…
Income – Expenses (and savings) = 0
You don’t necessarily need to spend each dollar, it could go to savings or retirement, but you still have to give each dollar a job.
If you were to total up each of your budget categories, they should equal exactly your expected income for the month.
Spend your whole paycheck on paper before the month begins. Give every dollar a name. –Dave Ramsey
It’s simple, but it works! I think there’s a mental shift that says, “hey there’s no extra buffer this month, I better stay on budget!”
This technique also makes sure that you plan ahead to use any “extra” funds to go toward something really important like getting out of debt.
I know it can be tough to find any extra in a really tight budget, but small surpluses do come our way occasionally (bonuses, raises, tax returns, etc). If you’re not prepared with a clear budgeting plan, those will quickly disappear.
Why use Mint.comfor Zero Sum Budgeting?
Mint.com is wonderful for a few reasons.
First and foremost, it is free.When you are on a tight budget and trying to get out of debt, this pretty much trumps all.
Mint is alsosatisfactorily secure.
It automates the process of tracking your expenses, so you’re more likely to stick with it.
Mint also has a free app, so you can check your budget on the go before you decide to make a purchase.
Mint has pretty graphics, so you cansee how close you are to meeting or exceeding your budget categories.
Basically, Mint allows you to easily see how much you’ve beenspending and how much you have available at any given time.
This is key to sticking to a budget. After all, what’s the point of checking your budget once a month after you’ve already gone over it?!
Why Mint is Terrible for Zero Sum Budgeting
There is one thing at which Mint fails miserably, though.
It is TERRIBLE if you want to do a Zero-Sum Budget.In other words, it’s miserableif you actually want to stick to that little budget you made or have any hope of getting out of debt.
Ironically for budgeting software, Mint hasno default budget categoriesfor saving for emergencies, contributing to retirement, or saving for college.
You can set goals, but these don’t integrate well into the overall budgeting feature.
In my experience, Mint’s overly simplified income vs. spending calculations never seems to add up to my actualincome and spending. Thus, seeing whether your budget and spending is a true “zero sum”is pretty much impossible with Mint alone.
Despite these disadvantages, the fact remains that Mint is free.
I learned to hack Mint.com to do a zero sum budget, and today I’m going to share exactly how I do it.
How to Budget with Mint and Stick to It
Once you know a few simple Mint budget tips, it’s really easy to do a Zero-Sum Budget withthis free app. Here’s how.
1. Get it on Paper
Make a list of your anticipated take-home pay for the month and all your budget categories.
List how much you plan to spend in each category. It really helps to write them down in the same order and with the same names that Mint uses.
Click to grab your own free Family Budget Worksheet printablewhere I’ve already done that for you. It’s custom designed make it easy to do a zero sum budgetwith Mint.com.
This is a really valuable exercise in its own right. It’s a lot harder to ignore the budget staring back at you from the front of the refrigerator than it is yet another notification on your phone.
Remember, the total of your expenses (including savings) should equal your income.
2. Enter your Individual Budget Categories in Mint
Enter your budget for each personal budget category into Mint, so it will automatically track your spending throughout the month.
For expenses that you don’t pay monthly,like buying new tires or back to school supplies, you’ll want to save a bit each month. That way you’ll have enough when it comes time to pay for this expense.
This conceptis called a “sinking fund.” You can use the Mint rollover budget to track these sinking funds.
Related Read:How to Use a Sinking Fund to Stay on Budget
To create a budget for a category that needs a sinking fund in Mint, select the “Every Month” option and make sure to check the box for “start each new month with previous month’s leftover amount“.
Here’s a screenshot, so you can see what I mean.
You can see that for this sinking fund we are rolling over $965 from last month and we’ll be adding $150 this month. When we have to pay for unexpected car maintenance we won’t be draining our emergency fund.
3.Create Rules for Faster Tracking
Mint will automatically categorizeyour expenses for you, but youshould double check that it is putting everything where it belongs.
Over time Mintwill learn in which category each of your regular expenditures belongs.
As you assign categories for each transaction, you can choose to check the box “Always rename as and categorize as ” to create a new rule.
To editthe way Mint categorizesyour transactions, click “Transactions,” and select “Manage Your Budget Rules” link at the very bottom of the page. You can also create rules to help the process along.
You can also create rules to help the process along.
4. Categorize Expenses at Least Weekly
There are some expenditures that you may need to split into different categories. For instance, if you shop at Costco, Target, or Walmart, you might buy bananas (groceries), shampoo (toiletries), and a pillow (furnishings) in the same trip.
For instance, if you shop at Costco, Target, or Walmart, you might buy bananas (groceries), shampoo (toiletries), and a pillow (furnishings) in the same trip.
In my experience, I’m much more likely to stay within my budget if Itrack these separately, and not lump them into “groceries.”
Mint makes this easy. Select any transaction, click “Edit Details,” and select the icon with a double arrow. This will take you to the Split Your Transaction screen below where you can assign an amount and category. 
I try to do this as soon as possible, so I don’t forget what I boughtor give myself a chance to lose the receipt.
Make sure to check your expenses at least weekly. It’s easy and almost fun to check over a week’s worth of expenses.
However, trying to sort through a full month’s worth of expensesand figure out what you bought on each trip to the store after the fact is kind of like a crime scene investigation. Messy, and no fun for anyone!
What you dread, you will probably avoid. And that is not a good way to stick to a budget.
Honestly, this is a habit that I am stillbuilding. Sometimes I stick with it, others not so much.
5. Do a Budget Check-in at the End of the Month
At the end of the month, use the actual spending totals from Mint and write them down next to your budgeted expenses on your paper budget.
Add up the total and enter it at the bottom. You’ll also want to write down your actual income.
How did you do? Did thetotal of all yourbudget categories exactly equal your income for the month?
If you consistently go over in one category, is it time to readjust this to a more realistic goal?
Was there an unanticipated surplus this month that needs to be sent to an extra loan payment or your savings account?
6. Make a New Budget Every Month
For the longest time, I thought a budget was something you did once or maybe even once a year. I soon discovered that was not a good idea if I actually wanted to stick to my budget!
I now highly recommend writing out a new budget each and every month.
Our lives can change not only in big ways like having a new baby or moving but also in small ones.
Each month has its own expenses that you might not have anticipated. These must find a home in your budget for the month if you plan to stick to it.
It doesn’t take long because, of course,most categories will be very similar from month to month.
In fact, print out 12 budget worksheets right now, so you can skip that stepwhen the next month rolls around.
Click here to get your free Family Budget Worksheet printable
6 Simple Steps for Budgeting with Mint
To sum it all up here are the simple tips for how to use Mint budget app so you can stick to a budget, at last!
- HackMint.com free budgeting software to do a Zero-Sum Budget.
- Get it down on paper.
- Check your spending at least weekly. After all, what’s the point of checking your budget after you’ve already overspent?
- Checkyour budget at the end of every month and make changes if needed.
- Make a new budget every month to plan for family and seasonal changes.
What simple tricks help you stick to a budget? Share your tips in the comments!
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