Make Your First Budget
5 weeks · 3 milestones
Track every dollar you spend for one full month. Use a spreadsheet (Google Sheets is free), a notebook, or any budgeting app. List every income source — including pocket money, gifts, and any earnings — and every expense. At the end of the month, look at the numbers honestly and write down one thing you'd change. Proof is your completed income/expense record plus a short reflection.
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
A budget starts with an honest inventory of what comes in and what goes out. List all the money you receive in a typical month — allowance, part-time pay, gifts — and all the categories you spend money on, even small ones. Nothing should be estimated from memory; look at actual receipts, bank records, or ask a parent for the amounts. An incomplete list produces a budget that does not reflect reality.
Proof required
Share your income and expense list: two columns showing every income source with its monthly amount, and every spending category with a realistic monthly estimate. A handwritten list, a spreadsheet, or a photo of a notebook all count. Accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents.
What gets checked
- Income side lists every source with a specific monthly amount — 'some babysitting' is not a usable entry; '£20/week babysitting = £80/month' is
- Expense side includes at least 5 categories and covers both fixed costs (bus pass, phone top-up) and variable costs (food, entertainment) — a list of 2–3 categories is missing most of the picture
- Numbers are from real records or parental confirmation, not rough guesses — at least one entry notes its source (bank statement, receipt, parent estimate)