How Much I Spent Weekly as an Entrepreneur
Budget with me as a three-business-owning millennial trying to make responsible financial choices while getting emotionally outmaneuvered by tacos and a variety of animal rescues tugging at my heart.
Every Sunday, I sit down with a cup of something warm and a spreadsheet that looks like it’s seen things. I’ve turned Sundays into a sort of productivity ritual planning the week ahead to keep my chaotic life organized. I light a candle, open Rocket Money (this app is literally amazing), and I curse a few times, pondering the fact that maybe choosing to work for myself was a bad decision. But, it wasn’t. It’s just far more scary and made of deliberate choices.
Here’s what my budget ritual actually looks like:
Step 1: Identify Guaranteed and Projected Income
This week, I had a confirmed $1300 project getting paid in full (thank the freelance gods), along with a $300 deposit and a few unexpected bonuses: $20 in tips and random friend generosity that honestly made me feel like a cherished and respected. It was a big boost to my ego, and one incredible $150 tip because a client's brand came out incredible and they wanted to show appreciation. On Sunday, I only count the guaranteed, or highly likely, leaving my income for the week ahead at $1600, with a starting balance of $24.75. I can work with that. That’s actually far above my usual struggle-bus budget with a total of $1624.75 to divvy as needed.
Step 2: List Expenses
Here’s where things get layered. I separate them into categories so I know what’s truly “essential” and what’s more likely to reduce stress and pain points in the long run. Each one, if money is already in my account, gets a matching amount moved to savings and labeled in Rocket Money to keep track. If projected income has to be used, I write the date of that income down in my digital planner and what it needs to go towards. This week included:
Business Bills ($53.93): Subscriptions, tools, and that one service I swear I’ll cancel but haven’t. (Remaining: $1,570.82)
Household Bills: $850, rent, gas, and phone bill were due (Remaining: $720.82. Ouch.)
Household Needs, $200: Toilet paper, paper towels, groceries, pet food, and personal fuel in the tank (Remaining: $520.82)
- Animal Care & Work Travel: Cat adoption transport (YAY SIREN!) = $30 in fuel ▪︎ My teenager to DPS in a neighboring county for her permit to drive = $16 in fuel ▪︎ Pet sitting gig (3 days 30 miles away) = $20 in fuel (Remaining: $408.82)
Necessary Outing Expenses: $100 gets set aside for must-do errands, client meetings, or things that require leaving the house looking semi-human, including the food budget for both animals and humans. (Remaining: $308.82)
- Bonus Expenses, $17: Not essential, but deeply helpful. These are the things that buy back time, sanity, or strategic progress (newsletter tools, digital upgrades, low-stakes emotional support purchases like a new roll of washi tape). This week included Spotify Premium Duo, the one and only subscription I prioritize as a need because music is my therapy and sages my mental health. (Remaining: $291.82)
Step 3: Divide the Remainder
Once the above is accounted for, I split what’s left:
-50% to savings, always. Each transfer gets labeled with intention in Rocket Money so I can track what it’s for such as emergency vet (or child!) visits, necessary production supplies to increase offerings, and my favorite, my maybe one day adventure fund I may never touch but love knowing is there. I have a few other categories and try to alternate these each week.
- 50% toward things that fuel growth and joy such gifts of love for my kiddos, tools, subscriptions, small investments, or things I’ve been eyeing that’ll make a future product or launch easier. This week, I did a happy little dance with approximately $145 in my wallet because this meant I got the privilege of ordering breakfast tacos from my favorite little taco stand in all of Texas, quite literally named The Good Taco. 12/10, highly recommend.
Final Notes
I started the week with just $25.50 in my account and a stubborn belief that something would shift. I budget from a place of hope and highlighter ink. My method isn’t about restriction, it’s about designing support systems for Future Me.
Budgeting isn’t just numbers to me. Like everything else in my life, it’s ritual, reflection, and choosing to meet my needs (and my dreams) with honesty and a daring hope that we will make it to the other side. Some weeks are hard. Working for yourself has zero guarantees and when work and sales slow down, so does your ability to make ends meet. Budgeting for my family’s needs is creative triage with heart. It’s how I lead myself, even when things feel fuzzy. I was almost doing great this past week, until a little raccoon intake came in after he was confiscated from being illegally kept as a pet. (Stop this, please.) Right then, $75 in formula and other expenses went up in flames. Not only that, but he needed hours adjusting and learning how to exist with another juvenile without my constant presence (meaning lost work hours) because yeah, this sweetness and cute ball in my lap should have been trying to eat my face off. Oh well. Try again next week.
Anyway, this is how I moved money with intention this past week and how I kept my three-headed business beast running without losing my spark.
Budgeting as an entrepreneur with multiple business ventures requires a careful balance of tracking income, categorizing expenses, and intentional saving strategies to maintain financial health and enable growth. Using tools like Rocket Money can help streamline expense monitoring and savings allocation through clear labeling, which promotes transparency and better financial planning. A decisive aspect of successful weekly budgeting is separating essential expenses, such as business subscriptions, household bills, and necessary supplies, from discretionary purchases that enhance mental well-being and productivity. This approach fosters financial discipline while allowing room for emotional support expenses that sustain motivation and creativity. Entrepreneurs often face unpredictable income streams with fluctuating project payments and unexpected bonuses. Incorporating a planning ritual — like setting aside time each Sunday to review and project income and expenses — can stabilize financial decision-making and reduce anxiety tied to instability. Savings strategies that allocate 50% of remaining funds into designated categories, including emergency funds for pets or family, production supplies, and personal adventure funds, ensure preparedness for unforeseen challenges and future investments. The other 50% funding growth-related expenses nurtures business expansion and personal rewards, which is crucial for sustaining long-term motivation. Incorporating real-life scenarios such as transportation costs for animal care and work travel, and small indulgences like music subscriptions or occasional dining treats, emphasizes the importance of balancing responsible budgeting with personal joy. Working for yourself means embracing financial uncertainty, so budgeting is not just numbers but a creative, hopeful process that integrates emotional resilience. This includes adapting to emergencies, like caring for rescued animals, which may demand sudden financial and time commitments, underscoring the importance of flexible budgeting plans. Establishing such a budgeting ritual creates a supportive financial framework that empowers entrepreneurs to manage multiple businesses effectively without losing their personal spark or mental well-being, ultimately fostering both financial stability and business growth.
