This post is all about motivational budget quotes to help you take control of your finances.
Before I paid off $60k of student loan debt and became debt free, I knew I had to learn how to budget.
I was never interested in budgeting, and hoped I’d never have to do it. But when several very popular personal finance blogs emphasized how important it is, I knew I had to learn.
So, I found the most easy way to budget that I could find: zero-based budgeting. In my humble opinion, this budgeting method is not only super easy to learn, but also super satisfying to do!
Learning how to do make a budget using zero-based budgeting helped me see just how much money I was making each month, how much I could spend, and how much extra I could put towards my student loan debt.
Zero-based budgeting was the key in helping me pay off $60k of debt in 4.5 years. If you are on a budgeting journey yourself, these motivational budget quotes will absolutely help you get inspired and get in the right headspace so that you can continue to achieve your financial goals.
And if you’re interested in zero-based budgeting, check out my super simple zero-based budgeting guide!
Without further ado, here are the absolute best motivational budget quotes to help you save more money, spend more intentionally, and ultimately get closer to your financial goals.
Motivational Budget Quotes
Quotes About Budgeting And Hard Work
Budgeting is the easy part. Sticking to the budget is the harder part. But you can do it! Especially with a little motivation from these budgeting quotes.
1. “There are no shortcuts when it comes to getting out of debt.” – Dave Ramsey
2. “Work is doing it. Discipline is doing it every day. Diligence is doing it well every day.” – Dave Ramsey
3. “Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge.” – Dave Ramsey
4. “Becoming rich is hard. Staying broke is hard. Choose your hard.” – Eric Worre
5. “They call it a budget so you don’t budge from it.” – Mike Figgis
6. “A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin
7. “If you don’t get serious about your money, you will never have serious money.” – Grant Cardone
8. “When it comes to tackling your financial goals, whatever they might be, there’s no time like the present.” – Suze Orman
9. “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson
10. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
11. “Financial freedom is available to those who learn about it and work for it.” – Robert Kiyosaki
12. “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Unknown
13. “Wealth is largely the result of habit.” – John Jacob Astor
14. “People who don’t budget think that budgeting means depriving themselves. That’s not true at all. A budget gives you the freedom to do what you want with your money.” – Jean Chatzky
15. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
16. “You either master money, or, on some level, money masters you.” – Tony Robbins
Get your zero-based budgeting guide here! A super simple way to budget your money.
Budgeting Quotes About Your Future Self
Your future self will absolutely thank you for budgeting now. One day, you will feel so much more financially secure, and you will look back and be so grateful for your past self.
17. “If you will do the things others won’t do then someday you will have the life others won’t have.” – Dave Ramsey
18. “He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing.” – Benjamin Franklin
19. “Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt.” – Benjamin Franklin
20. “A budget is a financial plan to control future operations and results.” – Jae K. Shim
21. “ If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.” – Edmund Burke
22. “When money realizes that it is in good hands, it wants to stay and multiply in those hands.” – Idowu Koyenikan
23. “Bad debt is sacrificing your future day needs for your present day desires.” – Suze Orman
24. “Every time you borrow money, you’re robbing your future self.” – Nathan W. Morris
25. “Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
26. “People do not decide their futures. They decide their habits, and their habits decide their futures.” – FM Alexander
27. “You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” – Dave Ramsey
28. “Money doesn’t change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish or arrogant or greedy, the money brings that out, that’s all.” – Henry Ford
Quotes About Small Changes Having a Big Impact
Even the smallest changes or tweaks to your finances can have a huge impact. Don’t underestimate having a budget! It could be the thing that finally gets you on track to feeling more at peace with your finances.
29. “Doing a budget means learning an ancient and powerful word: no.” – Dave Ramsey
30. “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” – Warren Buffett
31. “Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.” – Benjamin Franklin
32. “Look everywhere you can to cut a little bit from your expenses. It will all add up to a meaningful sum.” – Suze Orman
33. “The slightest adjustments to your daily routines can dramatically alter the outcomes in your life.” – Darren Hardy
34. “The budget is the foundation on which successful lives are built.” – Michael Dinich
35. “If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough.” – Vicki Robin
Quotes About Having A Financial Plan
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Financial plans are crucial! How are you planning to conquer your financial goals?
36. “Your greatest asset is your paycheck.” – Dave Ramsey
37. “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett
38. “If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.” – Benjamin Franklin
39. “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.” – Barack Obama
40. “It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.” – Aesop
41. “Every financial worry you want to banish and financial dream you want to achieve comes from taking tiny steps today that put you on a path toward your goals.” – Suze Orman
42. “A budget is permission to spend.” – Dave Ramsey
43. “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand
44. “It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.” – Robert Kiyosaki
45. “With an understanding of your budget and your true needs, you may start putting away more money than you ever expected.” – Larry Dyson
46. “If broke people are making fun of your financial plan, you are on the right track.” – Unknown
47. “The budget is like a map of how your money is spent—it’s a tool to help you make wise choices.” – Suze Orman
48. “The budget is the backbone of a sound financial plan.” – Unknown
49. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
50. “A man who both spends and saves money is the happiest man, because he has both enjoyments.” – Samuel Johnson
Not sure how to budget? Check out my zero-based budgeting guide!
Money Quotes About Having A Balanced Budget
I can’t say enough good things about having a budget. It may take you a few times before you are able to stick to your budget or get your budget just right. Don’t worry if that’s the case! It definitely took me a few tries before figuring out a budget that worked for me.
51. “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” – Dave Ramsey
52. “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden
53. “A budget doesn’t limit your freedom; it gives you freedom.” – Rachel Cruze
54. “Budgeting is not just for people who do not have enough money. It is for everyone who wants to ensure that their money is enough.” – Rosette Mugidde Wamambe
55. “A debt problem is, at its core, a budgeting problem.” – Natalie Pace
56. “Budgets are blueprints and priorities.” – Kevin McCarthy
57. “Live below your means but within your needs.” – Suze Orman
58. “Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean you should buy it.” – Suze Orman
59. “Used correctly, a budget doesn’t restrict you. It empowers you.” – Tere Stouffer
60. “Budgeting your money is the key to having enough.” – Elizabeth Warren
61. “Budgeting is not about penny-pinching. It’s about spending money on the things you love the most while cutting back on things that are not as important at the time.” – Dafina Sharpe
62. “Money is such an amazing teacher: What you choose to do with your money shows whether you are truly powerful or powerless.” – Suze Orman
63. “The simplest definition of a budget is ‘telling your money where to go.” – Tsh Oxenreider
64. “Those who don’t manage their money will always work for those who do.” – Moses Tan
65. “The secret to budgeting is that it needs to be honest. Not what you think it should be or wish it could be, but what it really is.” – Lisa Conway-Hughes
More Motivational Budget Quotes
If you’re anything like me, motivational quotes are just the thing you need to hear. Here are some more motivational budget quotes.
66. “If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.” – Benjamin Franklin
67. “It is critical that kids start to learn the value of money, short-term and long-term saving and budgeting at an early age.” – Alexa Von Tobel
68. “If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” – Earl Wilson
69. “You can’t have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic.” – Stephen C Hogan
70. “Budget: A mathematical confirmation of your suspicions.” – A.A. Latimer
71. “Budgets are nothing if not statements of priorities.” – Jeff Merkley
72. “Save money, and money will save you!” – John Soforic
73. “It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.” – Warren Buffett
74. “Finance is not merely about making money. It’s about achieving our deep goals and protecting the fruits of our labor. It’s about stewardship and, therefore, about achieving the good society.” – Robert J. Shiller
75. “Money poisons you when you’ve got it, and starves you when you haven’t.” – D.H. Lawrence
76. “Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” – Mike Ditka
Quotes About Spending Habits
Once I started budgeting and seeing how much money I was making and how much I could spend, my spending habits changed drastically! I started intentionally spending my money on the things that I truly valued, and I stopped blowing my money on the things I didn’t really care about.
77. “Act your wage.” – Dave Ramsey
78. “Budgeting only has one rule; Do not go over budget.” – Leslie Tayne
79. “We make ourselves rich by making our wants few.” – Henry David Thoreau
80. “Never spend your money before you have earned it.” – Thomas Jefferson
81. “A typical millionaire lives in a middle-class home, drives a two-year-old or older paid-for car, and buys blue jeans at Wal-Mart.” – Dave Ramsey
82. “The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.” – Warren Buffett
83. “I’ve found that the less stuff I own, the less my stuff owns me.” – Nathan W. Morris
84. “Don’t buy things you can’t afford, with money you don’t have, to impress people you don’t like.” – Dave Ramsey
85. “The way to build your savings is by spending less each month.” – Suze Orman
86. “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” – Seneca
87. “Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.” – Zig Ziglar
88. “If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell things you need.” – Warren Buffett
89. “A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.” – William Feather
90. “The best thing money can buy is financial freedom.” – Rob Berger
91. “The rich get rich because they pay themselves first.” – David Bach
92. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus
93. “When you buy a bigger house, another luxury car, or a fancy boat, you are showing people that you used to have money.” – Christopher Manske
94. “Living on less than you make is a matter of controlling yourself, not a matter of math.” – Dave Ramsey
95. “I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.” – Pablo Picasso
96. “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato
97. “Being a smart shopper is the first step to getting rich.” – Mark Cuban
98. “Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch
99. “I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them.” – John Stuart Mill
Try my zero-based budgeting guide to help you budget!
More Quotes About Money Management
Now that I am debt free and have had many years of practice with budgeting, I feel like I am so much better at managing my money. This brings me so much peace of mind. I’m definitely not perfect though, and my financial situation is always changing which brings new challenges, but having practice with budgeting was the first step to being better at managing my money!
100. “When you create a basic budget and stick to it, it will suddenly seem like you have money.” – Dave Ramsey
101. “We must consult our means rather than our wishes.” George Washington
102. “Broke is normal. Why be normal?” – Dave Ramsey
103. “Poor is a state of mind. Broke is, ‘I’m just passing through.'” – Dave Ramsey
104. “It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.” – Rutherford B. Hayes
105. “Manage your spending by creating and sticking to a budget.” – Alexa Von Tobel
106. “The man who never has enough money to pay his debts has too much of something else.” – James Lendall Basford
107. “Don’t think of saving money as a punishment. Think of saving money as a lifestyle change and a means to freedom.” – Emily G. Stroud
108. “Creditors have better memories than debtors.” – Benjamin Franklin
109. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” – Norman Vincent Peale
110. “The more your money works for you, the less you have to work for money.” – Idowu Koyenikan
111. “Money, like emotions, is something you must control to keep your life on the right track.” – Natasha Munson
112. “Try to save something while your salary is small; it’s impossible to save after you begin to earn more.” – Jack Benny
113. “Budgeting isn’t about limiting yourself – it’s about making the things that excite you possible.” – Unknown
Quotes About Economic Security
At the end of the day, budgeting, saving, and reducing your spending will bring you economic security. Not having to worry about money allows you to really focus on the things that are most important to you, and that’s truly a blessing.
114. “Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.” – Richard M. DeVos
115. “Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.” – Steven Wright
116. “You can be young without money, but you can’t be old without it.” – Tennessee Williams
117. “Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.” – George Burns
118. “Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it’s about having a lot of options.” – Chris Rock
119. “Being broke may not be your fault, but staying broke is. Take action today.” – Dipti Pawar
120. “A cardinal rule in budgeting and saving is to pay yourself first. Once your paycheck hits your account, wisdom has it that you should move some amount to savings even before you pay the bills.” – John Rampton
Like I said before, learning how to budget with the zero-based budgeting method was a game changer for me. If you aren’t sure how to budget, or you’re interested in learning a more fun way to do so, check out my zero-based budgeting guide today!
This post was all about motivational budget quotes to help you save, spend intentionally, and pay off your debt.
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