My Point Of View On...
Budgeting
My Point Of View No. 1: If possible, maintain a monthly budget with your bills listed by due date, so that you can reconcile the monthly bills that you have outstanding with how much money that you have in your checking account; that way, you know exactly how much money that you have to spend—without ever spending more money than you have, or overdrafting your checking account! (I maintain handwritten monthly budgets on Office Depot® Brand Professional 100% Recycled 5" x 8" Legal Pads—and, as of January 2026, I also maintain digital editions of these handwritten monthly budgets on Google Docs—so that I know where every penny that I spend is going.)
My Point Of View No. 2: If possible, maintain a "savings pad" in your checking account in order to prevent any overdrafts due to unexpected transactions. I keep extra money in my checking account as a "savings pad," which, in part, is available for me to keep in my checking account from the money that I have set aside on a regular basis due to what I have saved while I am spending money (such as savings from discounts, like from coupons, discounts from stores, and discounts from other businesses), which I keep track of as I am saving it! Therefore, I am able to utilize these "spending savings"—which adds up to hundreds of dollars over an entire year—on future purchases and unexpected expenses. (By the way, I actually keep a base amount "savings pad" in my checking account year-round that is close to the total amount of all my insurance deductibles, so that if I ever need to make an insurance claim I know that I can meet the deductible!)
My Point Of View No. 3: If possible, set aside any surplus funds from your monthly budget and then save those surplus funds for later use, such as future purchases, or unexpected expenses. As mentioned above, I keep extra money in my checking account as a "savings pad," which, in part, is available for me to keep in my checking account due to what I saved from surplus funds in my monthly budget that I did not spend (in addition to the savings from discounts, plus what I have saved for my insurance deductibles, as mentioned above).
My Point Of View No. 4: If possible, set aside your "spending savings" in your monthly budget from coupons, discounts from stores, and discounts from other businesses, etc. Then, save that 'spending savings' for later use. As an example, if I buy an item on sale for $20.00, that was regularly $25.00, I set aside the $5.00 that I saved, in my monthly budget, as if I spent that money since—if I hadn't received a discount—I would have spent that money! Thus, I do this on most of my purchases that are discounted, by setting aside the money that I would have spent, as if I had spent that money. And the first full year that I set aside my 'spending savings' in my monthly budget, I saved over $900.00 in only twelve months! Also, to clarify, I only track what I have saved on discounted purchases that I made with my debit card, in order to set aside those funds in my monthly budget, and not with discounted purchases that I made with cash or credit. Otherwise, I feel that it would be too difficult to set aside funds on purchases that were discounted for which I paid in cash or credit. And, to clarify even further, I only track what I have saved at a store if that store lists the amount that I have saved on the receipt. Otherwise, I feel that it would be too difficult to track discounts on purchases where the store does not list discounts on the receipt. And, to clarify one final thing, I track other discounts from businesses that I also set aside in my monthly budget, such as discounts on my subscriptions to news outlets, or discounts on my monthly cell phone service!
My Point Of View No. 5: If possible, set up all of your monthly payments to be deducted automatically in order to make sure that you never, ever miss a monthly payment—and so you that do not incur any late fees. And, speaking of never missing a payment, set aside funds in your monthly budget for any annual bills that you may have. For example, I add up the total amount of my annual bills and then divide that total by twelve (the number of months in the year), so I know exactly how much I need to save each month!
My Point Of View No. 6: If possible, transfer money each month, or each year, into your savings account in order to be prepared for any annual bills, unexpected expenses, or to prepare for retirement. For example, I take the total amount that I have saved in my monthly budget that I did not spend, in addition to any savings from discounts, as well as what I have budgeted for my annual bills, and I deposit those total funds into my savings account at the end of the year. And then I can transfer any amount needed of said funds from savings back to checking when I need to spend money on annual bills or on unexpected expenses.
My Point Of View No. 7: If possible, set aside "carrying cash" each month for any expenses which you may wish to pay for in cash. Then, save your unused "carrying cash" at the end of the month for later use in future months. I also keep "carrying cash" in order to help homeless folks who are panhandling, or 'spanging'—which I have budgeted for specifically—as a way of giving "alms to the poor!"
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Math Magician)
"I can explain everything!"
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My Writing About Tracking My "Discount Savings" In My Monthly Budget: I track how much I save from discounts on purchases in my monthly budget! You see, beginning in the year 2016, I started to set aside my 'discount savings' in my monthly budget from coupons, discounts from stores, and discounts from other businesses, etc. Then, I saved those 'discount savings' for later use. And the reason that I decided to start doing this is because I couldn't figure why I did not have any money left over at the end of each month, even though I was always really careful about purchasing whatever I needed to buy when it was on sale—as much as possible. Then, I realized that I wasn't keeping track of how much I was saving when I bought items on sale in order to save money! Therefore, that is why I decided to start setting aside what I saved from any discounts on purchases in my monthly budget. As an example, if I buy an item on sale for $20.00, that was regularly $25.00, I set aside the $5.00 that I saved, in my monthly budget, as if I spent that money because—if I hadn't received a discount—I would have spent that money anyway! Thus, I do this on purchases that are discounted, by setting aside the money that I would have spent, as if I had spent that money. And the first full year that I set aside my 'discount savings' in my monthly budget, which was 2017, I saved over $900.00! Also, to clarify, I only track what I have saved on discounted purchases that I made with my debit card, in order to set aside those funds in my monthly budget, and not with discounted purchases that I made with cash or credit. Otherwise, I feel that it would be too difficult to set aside funds on purchases that were discounted for which I paid in cash or credit. And, to clarify even further, I only track what I have saved at a store if that store lists the amount that I have saved on the receipt. Otherwise, I feel that it would be too difficult to track discounts on purchases where the store does not list discounts on the receipt. (I actually used to go back through a store and write down on my receipt how much I saved on each item if the store didn't list the savings on my receipt, but it was kind of a hassle to do so. That's why I only track what I save at a store if they list my savings on the receipt.) And, as I mentioned above, I also track other discounts from businesses that I set aside in my monthly budget, such as discounts on my subscriptions to news organizations, or discounts on my monthly cell phone service! –Paul Whiting (written originally sometime after 2017, then turned into a quote on July 11th, 2022, revised July 13th, 2022, revised August 31st, 2023 and revised June 26th, 2024)
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My Mathematical Notes:
The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: I micromanage my finances in order to know how much I have to spend each month—and also so that I know where every penny that I spend is going!
And this prose was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."
This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com
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May 11th, 2015 Update [My Writing About Taking Care Of My Own Needs First And Then Donating To Charity]: I spend what I can afford to spend on charitable donations while still being able to afford to take care of my day-to-day needs. (The reader should know that I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS. And I am on Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, so my income is quite limited.) Thus, I would not make charitable donations if I was not able to take care of my day-to-day needs, since I believe in taking care of your own needs
first and helping others
second—that is, if it is possible and desirable for you to help others. Plus, I personally believe in
wisely accepting charity, or assistance, if it is really needed; but, I also personally believe in
not accepting charity, or assistance, if it is not really needed. For example, I qualify for assistance to help pay my monthly electric bills, but I don't apply for that assistance, since I don't feel like I really need it. However, if I felt like I really needed that assistance in order to help pay my electric bills, I would definitely apply for it! Therefore, I feel that you should give charity if possible, and accept charity if needed, if that feels right to you. –Paul Whiting (written approximately on May 11th, 2015, then turned into 'my writing' from my notes on July 20th, 2022, then turned into an update from the aforementioned writing on July 25th, 2022, revised April 17th, 2023 and revised August 9th, 2024)
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December 26th, 2015 Update: I budget for "carrying cash" each month in my monthly budgets for any expenses that I may wish to pay for in cash. And I budget—specifically—to use some of my carrying cash to help homeless folks who are panhandling, or "spanging" (which is a term that is a blend of the word 'spare' plus the word 'change' from the phrase, "Do you have any spare change?" or the phrase, "Can you spare any change?") and that is how I give "alms to the poor." –Paul Whiting (written December 26th, 2015, revised September 24th, 2019, revised December 23rd, 2021, revised December 24th, 2021, revised December 25th, 2021, revised December 26th, 2021 and revised July 6th, 2022)
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July 18th, 2016 Update: If possible, get out of credit card debt and utilize the money that you save on minimum payments and interest for other purchases. I am out of debt as of January 2016! And I use the money that I save from minimum payments and interest for other purchases, such as charitable donations. –Paul Whiting (written July 18th, 2016, revised October 24th, 2021 and revised June 18th, 2022)
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April 14th, 2018 Update: I decided to allow myself to use my available credit card line for when I need to purchase things that I do not want to purchase using my debit card or cash (such as items that I buy on sale), so that I can "buy now and pay later..." And, therefore, I am back into debt as of January 2017! However, I try to be as wise as I can be when utilizing credit; for example, I try to only purchase "non-consumable," or "non-perishable" items (like clothes, home furnishings, appliances, etc.), when I charge purchases to a credit card. That way, I am only paying interest on purchases that are going to be around for a while, rather than paying interest on purchases that I will simply consume immediately. Also, as of March 2018, I am budgeting to pay more than my minimum payment on each of my credit cards. That way, if I totally max out my credit line, I can still afford to pay the minimum payment on each of my credit cards, plus pay additional payments on each card in order to help pay off the principle balance. –Paul Whiting (written April 14th, 2018, revised April 21st, 2018, revised December 26th, 2019 and revised June 18th, 2022)
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September 6th, 2018 Update: So, I was totally out of credit card debt (as of January 2016) and, then, I decided to allow myself to utilize my credit line! So, I am back into credit card debt, as of January 2017; however, I am trying to control my spending. Plus, I am making extra payments on my credit card debt in order to pay down the principle balance. In addition to that, when I charge purchases to my credit line, I try to make sure that I am only charging items that are '"not consumable." That way, I am only paying interest on purchases that will last a long time! And, then, if I do buy something "consumable" (such as food that is on sale, which I am buying in bulk in order to save money), then I charge that to a specific credit card which I have designated to not carry the balance of all those "non-consumable" purchases! And, consequently, I pay off that specially-designated credit card as quickly as I can, once I have made those consumable purchases... –Paul Whiting (written September 6th, 2018, revised October 19th, 2018, revised December 26th, 2019 and revised June 18th, 2022)
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December 26th, 2019 Update: I decided to totally get out of credit card debt (again) as of December 2019—since I was almost at my credit card limit on the one credit card that I have available. (I used to have two credit cards, but I cancelled one of them.) And I realized that it was going to take too long to pay off that debt with just the minimum payment and one extra payment that I was making—due to still making occasional purchases, which would put my total balance back up toward my credit limit. So, I decided to throw everything that I had at the balance on my credit card and I paid it off! Now, I am trying to only use my credit card for really important purchases; plus, I am trying to treat my credit card as if I am getting a term loan from a bank! –Paul Whiting (written December 26th, 2019 and revised October 24th, 2021 and revised June 18th, 2022)
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October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 [My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)
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February 21st, 2026 Update No. 1: Happy birthday to me!
By the way, the birthday wish to myself above is not, in fact, the reason that I am writing this 'update' today. You see, I was actually planning to write this 'update' yesterday, February 20th, 2026.
However, when I went to the blog post that I feel is the most relevant post for me to publish this 'update'—which is titled, "My Point Of View On...Budgeting"—I actually got caught up in updating the main text of the post (which was definitely important for me to update!) instead of writing this 'update.' So it is actually the day after the day that I was originally planning to write this 'update,' which also happens to be my birthday!
Anyway, I was planning to explain in said 'update' that this year I finally figured out how to put my handwritten monthly budgets into a digital format! Not only that, 2026 is also the 10th anniversary of me producing these aforementioned handwritten budgets, which I have been creating on Office Depot® Brand Professional 100% Recycled 5" x 8" Legal Pads for the last ten years!
Now, the reason this is such a momentous accomplishment for me is because
I have tried on multiple occasions to convert these handwritten budgets that I create each month into a digital format, but to no avail!
That is, until earlier this year.
And the reason it was so difficult for me to convert these handwritten budgets that I create each month, to a digital format, is that these budgets are in a sort of "grid" format on the 5" x 8" legal pads that I create them on, where I list the individual transactions on the left of the writing pad—and then I create by hand seven ruled columns which represent the different budget categories, including the following:
No.: Transaction Name:
Charge Date/Paid Date:
Transaction Amount:
Monthly Bills:
Monthly Cash:
Budgeted Expenses:
Discount Savings:
Annual Bills Savings:
In addition to that, there are nine "budget categories" at the bottom of the transactions that represent which parts of the budget each transaction listed falls under, as follows:
Transactions Totals for Both Sides (of the page):
Transactions Pending for Both Sides (of the page):
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card:
Budget for Annual Bills Savings:
Budgets:
Transactions Grand Total:
Budget Difference:
Discount Savings:
Remaining Balance:
Thus, because this handwritten budget is in a kind of "grid" format, I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT how to reproduce it in a digital format! And I tried
multiple times over the last ten years to do so, but I always got "stuck" with accurately representing this "grid" format.
Granted, I could have simply created a spreadsheet on multiple software programs and achieved this grid format budget in a matter of minutes! But, I don't have a personal computer, or a laptop, or a notebook, or a tablet, I only have a smartphone. Therefore, I spent the last ten years handwriting my monthly budget with no end in sight!
Then, I accidentally figured out a way to create this digital format monthly budget on Google Docs when I was trying to track how much I had available to spend on my shopping trips! You see, I actually take the time to add up how much I am spending on a shopping trip—as I am shopping—in order to not go over budget.
So, I will actually calculate what I am spending in total on a shopping trip by plugging into my smartphone's calculator the amount of each item's price (including the number of multiple items, if I am buying more than one), then I copy and past it to the top of my digital shopping list on Google Docs, as follows:
02/21/2026 [Name of Business or Store]:
1.99+5.89×2+3.99
=17.76
Then, I can figure out how much of my total monthly budget I am spending on each shopping trip on my shopping list! The basic format of this system works as follows (without including any actual dollar amounts):
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SHOPPING AVAILABLE BUDGET
Budgeted Expenses Starting Balance: ........... $0.00
Total Budg. Exp. Trans. and Disc. Sav.: ........ -$0.00*
Budgeted Expenses Available Balance: ........ $0.00
Budgeted Expenses Current Purchase: ....... -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
Budgeted Expenses Transactions:
$0.00 Transaction for [Name of Business]
$0.00 Total Budgeted Expenses Transactions
Discount Savings:
$0.00 [Name of Business]
$0.00 Total Discount Savings
$0.00 Total Budgeted Expenses Transactions
$0.00 Total Discount Savings
*$0.00 Total Budg. Exp. Trans. and Disc. Savings
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Annual Bills Savings Starting Balance: ....... $0.00
Total Annual Bills Savings Increases: ....... +$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer to Ann. Bills from Monthly Cash
*$0.00 Total Annual Bills Savings Increases
Running Balance: ........................................... =$0.00
Total Annual Bills Savings Decreases: ....... -$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer from Ann. Bills for Credit Card
$0.00 Transfer from Ann. Bills to Mo. Cash
$0.00 Total Annual Bills Savings Decreases
Running Balance: ............................................ =$0.00
Total Ann. Bills Savings Transactions: ....... -$0.00*
$0.00 Transaction for [Business Name]
*$0.00 Total Annual Bills Savings Transactions
Annual Bills Savings Available Balance: ..... $0.00
Annual Bills Savings Current Purchase: .... -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ........................................ =$0.00
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Budgeted Expenses Available Balance: ...... $0.00
Annual Bills Savings Available Balance: .. +$0.00
Total Available Balance: ............................... =$0.00
Budgeted Expenses Current Purchase: ..... -$0.00
Annual Bills Savings Current Purchase: ... -$0.00
Total Remaining Balance: ............................ =$0.00
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And once I created this simple system, I realized that I could adapt it and expand it to be my entire monthly budget, as follows (again, without including any actual dollar amounts):
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DEBIT BUDGETS AND BALANCES FOR [MONTH NAME] 2026
(Avail. Check. Bal.: $0,000.00 as of ??/??/2026)
MONTHLY TRANSACTIONS
Monthly Bills, Monthly Cash, Budgeted
Expenses, Discount Savings, Annual Bills
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Charge Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Grand Total
01. Transaction Name ..................................... $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: .......... $0.00
Transactions Grand Total: .............................. $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: ............... $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ........ +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ............ N/A
*Transactions Grand Total [1]: ..................... =$0.00
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MONTHLY BILLS
Mo. Bills by Name with Due/Paid Date, Trans. Amt.,
Run. Total, Budget Total for [Month Name] 2026
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Due Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Budget Total
1. [Name Redacted] ......................................... $0.00
Due: ??/?? Paid: _______ Run. Total: ............. $0.00
2. CREDO Mobile ............................................... $0.00
Due: ??/?? Paid: _______ Run. Total: .............. $0.00
3. [Name Redacted] .......................................... $0.00
Due: ??/?? Paid: _______ Run. Total: .............. $0.00
4. [Name Redacted] .......................................... $0.00
Due: ??/?? Paid: _______ Run. Total: .............. $0.00
Monthly Bills Budget Total: ............................ $0.00
01. Transaction Name ...................................... $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: ........... $0.00
Monthly Bills Grand Total: .............................. $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: .............. $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ........ +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ............ N/A
*Transactions Grand Total: ........................... =$0.00
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ..... N/A
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ..................... N/A
Budget: ................................................................. $0.00
*Transactions Grand Total: ........................... -$0.00
Budget Difference: .......................................... =$0.00
Discount Savings: ................................................. N/A
Remaining Balance [3]: ................................... $0.00
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MONTHLY CASH
Monthly Cash Starting Balance: ..................... $0.00
Total Monthly Cash Expenses Increases: ... +$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer to Mo. Cash from [Budg. Categ.]
*$0.00 Total Monthly Cash Increases
Running Balance: ............................................. =$0.00
Total Monthly Cash Decreases: ..................... -$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer from Mo. Cash to [Budg. Categ.]
*$0.00 Total Monthly Cash Decreases
Monthly Cash Available Balance: ................ =$0.00
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Charge Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Grand Total
01. Monthly Cash ................................................ $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: ............ $0.00
Monthly Cash Grand Total: .............................. $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: ............... $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ......... +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ............ N/A
*Transactions Grand Total: ........................... =$0.00
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ...... N/A
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ...................... N/A
Budget: .................................................................. $0.00
*Transactions Grand Total: ............................ -$0.00
Budget Difference: ........................................... =$0.00
Discount Savings: .................................................. N/A
Remaining Balance [4]: ..................................... $0.00
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BUDGETED EXPENSES
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Charge Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Grand Total
01. Transaction Name ....................................... $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: ............ $0.00
Budgeted Expenses Grand Total: ................... $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: ............... $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ......... +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ............ N/A
*Transactions Grand Total: ........................... =$0.00
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ...... N/A
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ...................... N/A
Budget: .................................................................. $0.00
*Transactions Grand Total: ............................ -$0.00
Budget Difference: ........................................... =$0.00
Discount Savings: .................................................. N/A
Remaining Balance [5]: ..................................... $0.00
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DISCOUNT SAVINGS
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Charge Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Grand Total
??. CREDO Mobile .............................................. $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: ........... $0.00
Discount Savings Grand Total: ....................... $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: ............... $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ......... +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ....... +$0.00
*Transactions Grand Total [2]: ..................... =$0.00
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ...... N/A
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ...................... N/A
Budget: .................................................................. $0.00
*Transactions Grand Total: ............................ -$0.00
Budget Difference: ........................................... =$0.00
Discount Savings: .................................................. N/A
Remaining Balance: ........................................... $0.00
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ANNUAL BILLS SAVINGS
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ... $0.00
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ................. +$0.00
Annual Bills Savings Starting Budget: .......... $0.00
Total Annual Bills Savings Increases: ........ +$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer to Ann. Bills from [Budg. Categ.]
*$0.00 Total Annual Bills Savings Increases
Running Balance: ............................................. =$0.00
Total Annual Bills Savings Decreases: ......... -$0.00*
$0.00 Transfer from Ann. Bills for [Budg. Categ.]
*$0.00 Total Annual Bills Savings Decreases
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ... $0.00
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ................. +$0.00
Annual Bills Savings Available Budget: ........ $0.00
Transaction No.; Trans. Name; Trans. Amount
Charge Date; Paid Date; Run. Total; Grand Total
01. Transaction Name ....................................... $0.00
Charge: ____ Paid: _______ Run. Total: ............ $0.00
Annual Bills Savings Grand Total: ................. $0.00*
Transactions Totals for Both Sides: ............... $0.00
Transactions Pending for Both Sides: ......... +$0.00
Transactions Expected for Both Sides: ............ N/A
*Transactions Grand Total: ............................ =$0.00
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: .... $0.00
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: .................. +$0.00
Budget: ................................................................. =$0.00
*Transactions Grand Total: ............................. -$0.00
Budget Difference: ............................................ =$0.00
Discount Savings: ................................................... N/A
Remaining Balance [6]: ...................................... $0.00
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DEBIT BUDGETS AND BALANCES RECONCILIATION
Budget for Savings to Payoff Credit Card: ...... N/A
Budget for Annual Bills Savings: ....................... N/A
Budget: .................................................................. $0.00
[1] Transactions Grand Total: ........................ -$0.00
Budget Difference: ........................................... =$0.00
[2] Discount Savings Total: ............................. -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
[3] Monthly Bills Outstanding: ....................... -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
[4] Monthly Cash Available: ............................ -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
[5] Budgeted Expenses: .................................... -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
[6] Annual Bills Savings: .................................. -$0.00
Remaining Balance: ......................................... =$0.00
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In conclusion, then: I was
absolutely thrilled to be able to finally figure out how to take my handwritten monthly budgets to a digital format after ten long years! And I wanted to share this wondrous news with you, my readers, on my birthday! –Paul Whiting (written February 21st, 2026, revised February 23rd, 2026, revised March 6th, 2026, revised March 9th, 2026, revised March 16th, 2026 and revised March 17th, 2026)
P.S.: I actually came across one of the earlier attempts of me trying to create my monthly budget in digital format, which is from January 2022! So, I was actually thinking about reproducing that particular attempt for this 'update'—in order to demonstrate the difficulty I was having converting my handwritten monthly budget to a digital format—but I decided to not go to all of that work, because I ended up not using this recently-found January 2022 attempt anyway.
One more thing that I wanted to clarify, though, is that I still do all of my monthly budgeting in the original handwritten format on Office Depot® Brand Professional 100% Recycled 5" x 8" Legal Pads first and then I complete the budget in the digital format on Google Docs afterward. That way, I am actually doing all of the monthly budget math more than once in order to help me catch any mathematical errors that I may make!
P.P.S.: Today is March 17th, 2026, so Happy St. Patrick's Day! (By the way, the correct shortened name for the Irish name Pádraig—in other words, the name Patrick as written in the original Irish language—is actually
Paddy, as in "Happy St. Paddy's Day!" However, it is NOT, in fact, stated as, "Happy St.
Patty's Day," because "Patty" is the shortened version of the name
Patricia, not Pádraig.)
I am writing this post postscript today because I feel like I needed to explain more about the 'discount savings' for my cell phone company CREDO Mobile that is referenced in my monthly budget above. You see, in past billing statements, there used to be highlighted a specific discount that I received each month, but later on CREDO Mobile changed their billing statements, which no longer highlighted this specific discount. Now, I track the discounts that I receive—such as from coupons, discounts from stores, and discounts from other businesses—and I set them aside in my monthly budget for later use. Thus, when this specific discount was no longer referenced in the revamped CREDO Mobile billing statement, on the very first month that this change was made, I compared the billing amount on the old statement to the new one, and I realized the discount was actually still there, it just wasn't highlighted on the bill! That is why I have that particular business 'discount savings' written into my monthly budget. (I hope that makes sense!)
Anyway, Happy St. Paddy's Day!
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This "Paul Whiting — Math Magician" Post No. 001 was edited on March 17th, 2026.
"Prose is using all of the words that are necessary in order to describe all that is necessary to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
