I get paid twice a month - the 15th and the last day of the month. The main bills that come out of the 15th paycheck is my mortgage, car insurance and groceries. In the past there was barely enough paycheck to cover all this so I always had to make sure I had some left over from the prior paycheck. With my raise last summer and the reduced prescription costs, I don't really have this problem anymore, and have decided to take on a new approach to saving. I'd always seen what was leftover at the END of the month (the day before I got my end of month paycheck) and that would be savings, if there was any.
Now, I can look at what is left over after each paycheck twice a month and add to savings. Friday is payday and today I have $501 sitting in my checking account. As far as I know, I will not have to spend any of that on anything and that can all go into savings! What I have budgeted to pay out of the paycheck on Friday should even give me about $100 leftover out of that.
It always seemed like a long time to me to try and budget what would go into savings when I had a whole month of unexpected things come up. This bi-monthly way works better for me, mentally. I feel like I am meeting a goal quicker and more often and that motivates me better.
I totally agree that this bi-monthly approach of savings is definitely more beneficial than the previous one. That's an awesome amount to have leftover after a check! Congrats, and that's awesome it can all go into savings. I do move my money right before a new paycheck hits (if there's any left, ha!). I find that works better than a monthly statement.
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