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Father Works From Home While His Younger Son Makes Him Company While Mum With Other Son Sets Lunch in the Background.

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She said, We are a family of five who are trying to pay off a bunch of debt.

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I almost said six-figure debt, but we are actually under six figures now.

Katie manages the familys budget and uses a zero-based approach, ensuring every dollar has a purpose.

Marc works full-time and is the sole provider for the household.

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His $6,500 paychecks form the backbone of their monthly budget.

In this instant, their income totaled $13,350 from Marcs two paychecks.

Katie also budgets $350 in credit card rewards, which she plans to use for Christmas shopping.

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Katie explained, For groceries, Im budgeting $1,250.

For eating out, were budgeting $200.

Subscriptions, including streaming services, total $132 monthly.

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Debt repayment is a top priority.

A miscellaneous buffer of $100 is set aside for unexpected expenses.

Katie budgets $500 for their emergency fund each month.

She explained, For our emergency fund, Im budgeting $500.

After so much budgeting done, everything came up to $12,575, leaving the family with $775.

Budgeting Philosophy

Katies approach is rooted in flexibility and learning from past mistakes.

She uses a detailed spreadsheet to track every dollar and regularly tweaks her system to make it more efficient.

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