If you’ve ever avoided your budget because it feels overwhelming… you’re not alone.
I hear this all the time:
“I know I should budget… but I hate it.”
“It takes too long.”
“I fall behind, and then I just give up.”
“I don’t want to look at the numbers.”
And honestly? I get it.
For years, I thought budgeting required spreadsheets, hours of math, and the perfect tracking of every dollar. No wonder so many people quit.
But here’s what I’ve learned after helping thousands of families take control of their money:
Budgeting doesn’t fail because you lack discipline.
It fails because your system is too complicated.
If your budget feels heavy, time-consuming, or stressful, you won’t stick with it — no matter how motivated you are.
That’s why I stopped trying to “try harder” and built a simple budget system that takes just a few minutes a day and about 15 minutes a week.
No spreadsheets.
No marathon budget sessions.
No guilt.
Just clarity and quick check-ins that actually fit real life.
Today I’m going to walk you through exactly how I set up my easy budgeting workflow — the same one I use to manage our family finances — so you can finally stick to a budget without it taking over your life. For the past year, we’ve been using Monarch Money to manage our budget, so I’ll walk you through how to set it up step by step.
Monarch Money Setup
Step 1 — Connect Everything Once (foundation day)
Do this one time only.
Inside Monarch:
Connect:
- Checking accounts
- Savings accounts
- Credit cards
- Mortgage
- Car loans
- Investment/retirement (optional but helpful)
- Any shared spouse accounts
Why this matters:
- No manual tracking
- No logging into 6 websites
- Everything auto-imports
This is what removes 80% of budgeting resistance.
Step 2 — Categories (keep it SIMPLE)
Most people create way too many categories and then quit.
Stick to 15–20 max.
My recommended “Real Life” layout:
Bills (fixed)
- Mortgage/Rent
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Phone/Internet
- Subscriptions
- Debt Payments
Spending (flexible)
- Groceries
- Dining Out
- Household
- Gas/Transportation
- Kids/School
- Personal/Fun
- Giving
Saving (future)
- Emergency Fund
- Sinking Funds
- Travel/Goals
Annual/Irregular
- Car Repairs
- Home Maintenance
- Medical
- Gifts/Holidays
- Taxes
That’s it.
Simple categories = easier decisions = more consistency.
Step 3 — Set Monthly Targets (not perfection)
Inside Monarch → Budget tab:
Give every category a rough target.
Not exact.
Not perfect.
Just realistic.
Example:
- Groceries → $900
- Gas → $300
- Home maintenance → $150
- Holidays → $100 monthly (build sinking fund)
Key mindset:
Plan for real life, not ideal life.
This is where most budgets break. If you aren’t familiar with our family’s “funds” system, head to this post for more details.
Step 4 — Weekly 15-Minute “Money Reset”
Once a week:
Open Monarch →
- Review transactions
- Confirm categories
- Adjust anything weird
- Move money if needed
That’s it.
Not:
deep analysis
spreadsheets
shame spiral
Just:
“Does this look right? Cool. Done.”
Takes 10–15 minutes, but over time it can take as little as one minute.
Step 5 — 2-Minute Daily Check-In (optional but powerful)
This is the secret habit.
Open the app while:
- drinking coffee
- waiting in the car line
- sitting on the couch
Glance at:
- grocery spending
- overall cash left
- upcoming bills
Close.
No “budget session.”
Just awareness.
Awareness alone reduces overspending like crazy.
Step 6 — Monthly Planning Day (30 minutes max)
At the start of each month:
Inside Monarch:
- Adjust categories for upcoming events
- birthdays
- travel
- school costs
- holidays
- Set savings goals
- Check subscriptions
- Quick net worth glance
Done.
This replaces those stressful “why are we broke again?” moments mid-month.
The post How to Start Budgeting When You Hate Budgeting (A Simple System That Actually Works) appeared first on Jessi Fearon.