Heard of the term “Zero-based budgeting” before? While it was introduced in the 70s as a management technique for firms and organizations trying to minimize costs to make more profits, it continues to be an essential form of budgeting that works well for personal budgeters and small company owners.

Zero-based budgeting may sound complex, but it’s a basic – but effective strategy for helping you spend more wisely. These budgets take into account all facets of your spending habits and often necessitate a high level of attention to detail. Zero-based budgeting can assist you in balancing your budget and increasing the likelihood of meeting financial goals, such as saving money or paying off debt.

In this blog, we will go over the fundamentals of zero-based budgeting, what it can do for you, and how you can apply it.

What is the Meaning of Zero-based Budgeting?

Zero-based budgeting stipulates that each dollar spent must be tracked and must not surpass the budgeter’s monthly income. Every month begins with a zero value. Following that, money is distributed to each category based on its demands.

Every dollar has a definite purpose, whether it is for specific spending, savings, or debt repayment. By the end of the month, your earnings minus your expenses should equal zero.

Understand that this does not imply that you are free to spend all of your money. It implies that you pick where you’re going to spend your hard-earned money and stick to it.

In a nutshell, the purpose of zero-based budgeting is to ensure that you live within your means.

Why Zero-Based Budgeting?

Humans are known for their inability to plan for the future. It’s in our DNA to be present in the now, which makes impulsive spending a prevalent problem for most of us.

For those who battle to save or pay off debt due to a lack of focus, a zero-based budget is an efficient financial management strategy. You discipline yourself to spend below your means, save money, and pay off debt when you utilize zero-based budgeting. You’ll be considerably more likely to fulfill all of your financial plans if you don’t neglect any of your priorities.

You could discover that monitoring every dollar you spend makes it easier to minimize costs. If this seems like a difficult lifestyle to maintain, you’re not wrong. Zero-based budgeting is a method of budgeting that necessitates a great deal of self-control.

How to Design a Zero-based Budget

Develop a time frame

First off, you must decide when your budget will start and how long it will last. Many people stick to a monthly spending plan, but you could still also plan for the year ahead. You can choose which day to begin. Budgets usually start on the first day of the month, but you can start on any day that is convenient for you, such as payday.

Calculate your earnings

You can make a list of all your sources of income during the planning stage. Which can include your salary, any side work you may also have, rent payments you get, and the interest you earn on your savings.

Make a list of your expenses

Consider your numerous expenses and categorize them to better understand your spending habits. Examine your account statements and make a note of where you spent the money most. You may also add categories like dentistry and pet care to your lists to make them more personalized. It has to include everything important to you that you will most likely spend on every month. Identify your highest expenses when grouping your expenses into categories. Consider categorizing your mortgage and taxes as housing or upkeep if you spend a lot of money on them. Here are some more categories to think about:

• Rent or mortgage payments 
• Credit card payments 
• Savings
• School loans 
• Phone or internet 
• Healthcare 
• Wardrobe 
• Subscription services
• Grocery
• Restaurants 
• Fun and excitement (such as movies)

Make a budget for your expenses

You can estimate the mean cost for each expense category with your list. You can estimate your spending regularly, like a monthly budget. Mortgages and rent payments, for example, have a fixed monthly cost. Other expenses, such as groceries, fluctuate regularly. You can estimate all of these by averaging your prior months’ spending.

Allocate your earnings

The purpose of this budgeting is to make sure you do not have money left over once you’ve divided it up into categories. You can aggregate your monthly earnings and divide each payment into the categories you defined previously to account for every cent in your plan. Start by paying for your most basic needs, then move on to the next category in the order of importance.

If you still have any extra cash, try putting it in your savings account. You can also make modifications if you hit zero while you still have lists that are yet to be fixed. For instance, if you want to put $150 each month into a retirement fund but your budget is now at zero dollars before you get to this category, you can remove $150 from your restaurant spending and put it in there.

Decide on a format

After you’ve budgeted your costs, you can choose a budgeting structure that best suits your needs. Some people prefer to work with spreadsheets or create tables by hand. Websites and mobile applications are options, too. The practice of zero-based budgeting can be made easier by selecting a visually pleasing budgeting structure that matches your preferences.

Keep track of your spending and make comparisons.

It’s essential to keep a close eye on your expenses to figure out how to budget more effectively. You can track your expenditure and add it to your plan on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis.

You can use your spending data to figure out which categories are over-funded and which would benefit the most from an increase. For example, if you see that you’ve spent more than half of your monthly budget before the 15th, you can take money from your travel fund to make more money accessible for immediate expenditures.

Regularly review your budget

Monthly budget evaluations can assist you in promptly adapting to shifting priorities. It can help you gain a better grasp of how your budget changes over time. For instance, you might spend more in the fall than in the summer. Similarly, in the winter, you may need extra money for electricity. You can add new categories as needed with this extra detail.

The Challenge with Zero-based Budgeting

• It’s time-consuming: While a tool or spreadsheet design can assist, creating a budget from scratch still takes a significant amount of effort.
• Stress-inducing: If you have a lot of anxiety about money, zero-based budgeting might make you feel panicked, especially if you have a month where you spend more than you earn.
• Not favourable to gig workers: If you work hourly or as a freelancer, it can be tough to incorporate zero-based budgeting into your lifestyle because your revenue fluctuates from month to month.
• Relatively strict: If you prefer not to feel constrained by your spending, zero-based budgeting may seem like you’re being forced to keep track of every financial action you take, no matter how minor.

The Advantages of a Zero-Based Budget

1. 1. Helping You Stay Away From Temptation: When it comes to sticking to a budget, everyone is tempted at some point. “Oh, I should eat out please,” or “man, I want that stuff James just got, it looks incredible.”  In zero-based budgeting, however, the money has already been set aside for other uses. Seeing that you have a strategy in place for every dime can help you resist the urge to spend it on non-essential items since it will involve giving up something else. However, discretionary money for impulse purchases should be included in your budget since everyone needs to chill now and then.
   2. Prioritizing your most pressing needs: When it comes to meeting all of your needs, the zero-based budgeting technique can help you stay consistent. There are things you should never lack money for, this technique helps you to keep such needs afloat and you will be so proud of yourself for such consistency.
   3. Development of sound financial management habits: If you can stick to the zero-based budgeting method, it can help you build solid money management habits, especially the discipline to question yourself, “Do I really need this?” before you spend money.

• Make it clear to know how and when to double up: The reason why you have overwhelming debt may not only be because of your expenses, it could be that you are not earning enough to foot your bills. This would therefore help you to look for ways to earn more so that you can measure up.

Final Thoughts

One of the skills that can change your life forever is money management. You can earn in 8 digits, but with poor management, you will still fall short. Making use of Zero-based Budgeting is one of the effective ways to manage your finances. Though it has its challenges, especially if you are new to it, its benefits will outweigh the challenges. Once mastered, zero-based budgeting would seem to you like a walk in the park. Even if you fail a few times, don’t give up. Your financial life must take good shape.

If you are sinking deep into debt, zero-based budgeting would seem like an annoying choice because probably 80% of your income goes into paying off debt. Here is the catch, you need to, first of all, understand debt management. This might be a tough one for you, but not to worry, there are Debt Management Experts that would counsel you and show you how to take charge of your finances and get back on track.

Book a free consultation with us at EmpireOne. We have experts ready to listen to you and bring you out of the hole of overwhelming debt.