5 Stages Of Trying To Budget

Spring is the season of shedding all the excess — whether that means getting rid of clutter in your house, or cutting the emotional tethers that slowed you down all winter. And as seen in Elite Daily's "5 Stages of Trying to Budget" video, that also means shedding personal debt, and getting your finances in stellar shape. But oh my goodness, is it a difficult process. For many people, budgeting is probably the hardest of all the aforementioned goals to achieve, actually. Because how are you supposed to pay rent that's too high, buy clothes that cost too much, and food that is just as healthy as it is pricey, all on a salary that can barely cover just one of those things?

It is almost as if accruing debt is no longer a reckless way of life, but an inevitable obstacle that everyone has to overcome in their twenties. Elite Daily's video is so on-point with each of these budgeting stages, it's almost scary — but also awesome. It's nice to know that you are not the only one locked in this vicious cycle of budgeting ups and downs. It's a struggle we all go through — but hey, at least we're all in this together, right?

We are all feeling the pain of this process, and it's helpful to see it broken down into five accurate stages. Here they are:

1. The Bill

You're having a blast at the bar and then the check comes. Your world is shattered and you consider dashing post-dine because how did you spend so much? Here is your financial wake-up call.

2. The Research

OK, time to get serious about budgeting, but where do you even begin? To Google you go for the best tips. Your motivation is strongest here, because you're planning without having to put in any of the work.

3. The Mistakes

Your mind is a mess at this stage, because you have to go against your routines, and your instincts in order to develop new, healthy habits. So inevitably, you relapse a bit. You justify your slip-ups as "all part of the process."

4. The Meltdown

This is when your slip-ups are hard to forgive, because pay day comes and you have zero dollars available to spend. When you're still in the red after getting paid, you know it's time to make some serious changes.

5. The Redemption

But even the worst days can be erased by waking up the next day with a better outlook and making the right choices. Even if there are 50 more slip-ups in your budgeting future, as long as you do your best and remain motivated to step out of the red and into the black, you'll get there. It might take a while, but eventually, it'll happen.

Image: Elite Daily