The Total Money Makeover Inspired Budget

This Instructable is inspired by the bestselling book, TheTotal Money Makeover, by financial coach Dave Ramsey. I am not affiliated with Ramsey Solutions; I just want to share the amazing tool Every Dollar with everyone. My budget is my new best friend. It is so freeing to have a proactive plan for each paycheck, and Every Dollar makes it simple and fun to do that. There is a premium version of the app, which connects to the user's bank account and helps to sort transactions. But I prefer to stick with the free version, as it is easy enough to record transactions manually. This post will break down how to get and use the app for first time users. Happy budgeting!

Step 1: Download the Every Dollar App

Note: I have only downloaded the app onto an Apple phone. So it may look a little different for non-Apple.

Search "Every Dollar" or "Every Dollar Budget" in the App Store. It should look as pictured above. Download the app by pressing the cloud/arrow symbol or "GET" as the case may be.

Step 2: Open the App and Create an Account

Find the newly-downloaded app on your homepage, open it, and create an account.

Step 3: Create Your Budget!

When the budget template appears, hold down on the amount next to "Paycheck" to insert the applicable number. If you would like to name your income something specific, click "Add Income". Once you have set your paycheck amount, you will be ready to distribute it amongst your desired budget categories. You can use suggestions provided in the app, or click "Add Item" to get really specific. And again, hold down on the "$0.00" next to each item to insert your desired amount. After you have distributed money into the necessary and desired line items, put the remaining money into savings, so that your budget reads "It's an EveryDollar budget!" at the top!

Step 4: Optional...

Optional: Click on the few budget categories you chose out of the many suggested options, and make them favorites. This moves your categories to the top of the app so that you won't have to hunt for them in the future.

Also optional: Make certain budget categories a "fund". If you do not do this step, the amount in each category expires at the end of each month. However, for certain categories, such as "savings", you may want to make the category a "fund" so that it will always roll over and you can see the accumulated amount at a glance. To make an item a fund, click on the line item, then click "Fund" as shown, and the proceeding "Make This a Fund".

Step 5: The Budget in Action!

To record a purchase in your budget, click on the line item, and hit the blue/white "+" symbol. Then enter an amount (and merchant, if desired). After that, click "Done" in the top right corner of the screen. The app will immediately deduct the recorded amount from that budget category for the month. At the beginning of each month, the app will suggest keeping the same template as the previous month, which makes it super quick to make every budget after the first one!