On New Year’s Day, I revamped my category groups. I was inspired by Nick True’s excellent 2025 Getting Started Guide YouTube video, which mentioned having the option of having a values-based template for your spending plan. That really appealed to me, so thought I’d give it a try.
I started by doing a Fresh Start, so I could preserve my well-established template if I didn’t like the new one. I had created a list of possible groups to get me started. So after doing my Fresh Start, I named my new spending plan J+B Spending Plan and started renaming category groups and moving categories around.
Here’s what I came up with. Spoiler alert: I love it!!
Good Boy is for spending related to our standard poodle, Bix. Living Life holds categories like groceries, haircuts, and dining out. Joy is for hobbies and travel. Comfy Home is for spending related to living in our apartment, including rent, utilities, decor and furniture. Getting Around is for transportation-related spending. Just In Case has categories like bank fees, legal expenses, and income tax. (I don’t fund those categories because I don’t expect to use them but the categories will be there if I need them.)
The original budget, which I set up in 2021, had evolved a bit over time and was a hybrid between groups that were in the default template when I started the budget and some values-based category groups. Here is a screenshot of those category groups.
That template worked but I didn’t always remember what group a category was in. It also felt weirdly formal.
I like having my transactions from the last several years readily available so I went ahead and converted my old budget to the new template. That meant I did double the work, but I didn’t mind. Starting the new template with a Fresh Start gave me peace of mind, so I’m glad I did it that way.
This new values-based template feels playful, fresh and comfy to me. I think I’ll be able to find categories more easily. I like its simplicity, especially compared to its predecessor.
If your template isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to switch it up!
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