Budgets can be effective for some and a lot of people in the personal finance community will advocate for them, I feel they miss the mark from a psychological/mindset point of view.
Some people can feel trapped and restrained from the traditional budget because of allocating a specified amount to spend on living expenses, entertainment and travel, just to name a few.
So when we overspend in these areas beyond what’s in the budget we feel upset at ourselves and it kind of has a negative feel to it. Through no fault of our own we’ve had to over spend in certain areas and now we feel bad about it.
A nicer, cleaner way to do it is to pay yourself first. This allows you to put saving as the priority, automate it if you can and then with whats left over you are free to spend as you please.
This can make your finances less complicated and doesn’t make you feel bad for spending on the things you like. As long as you’re saving what you feel is an appropriate amount, I recommend striving for a 50% savings rate if you can. If that seems like too much bring it down, if it feels too little move it up.
Remember we are all different with differing needs and wants. Don’t be too critical of the small stuff.
“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
Warren Buffet
J.H.Repetto
jhrepetto.com 
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