How Do I

[Motherhen]

Budgeting and me just don't work sometimes. I have a number of "great" budgeting spreadsheets, but I can't make them work for me.

My biggest problem is that I do better when I use direct-debit facilities. I use this with Centrelink to pay for school fees, and my rental fridge. And I have automatic transfers each pay day from my bank account for kids savings, Christmas savings, and a couple of different bills accounts, and then I also have an Origin Direct Debit too.

The bit that does my head in, is that whilst savings accounts transfers are for a set amount and easily tracked, the ones for the bill accounts are a set transfer, but the bill can vary monthly so I have trouble tracking how much money is available sometimes. Does this make sense?

And then I have a "money box" (600ml water bottle) that I have just started to hold $2 coins, as full, it should equal about $900. These coins are too easy to spend and I want to try harder to save them, but do I track them to add to the budget or not? I also collect all $1, 50c and 20c pieces that are commemorative.

How do I manage this or am I doing it wrong?