Note: This article was contributed by Penny Forward volunteer and creator of Don’t Break the Budget, Adam Rushforth. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Penny Forward, its staff, or board.
Have you ever followed a budget faithfully, paid all your bills on time, and still wondered why your financial life never seemed to move forward?
You’re not alone.
Many people believe that if they simply spend less than they earn, everything else will eventually fall into place. But there is one mistake that quietly prevents countless people from building wealth, paying off debt, or reaching their biggest financial goals.
They make their financial future their last priority.
One of the core principles we teach in Don’t Break the Budget is that your current financial goal deserves to become one of the highest priorities in your budget.
On the savings cards in our budgeting game, you’ll notice there are two images instead of one. That isn’t an accident. The card represents more than just a savings account—it represents your current financial mission.
For one person, that mission may be building an emergency fund.
For another, it may be paying off debt.
Someone else may be saving for retirement, a down payment on a home, education, or another meaningful goal.
The specific goal doesn’t matter nearly as much as its priority.
People often ask me, “Should savings really be the second priority in my budget?”
My answer is an emphatic yes.
For years, I carefully followed my budget. I faithfully kept my highest priority first, but I wasn’t making meaningful progress toward my family’s financial goals. We saved what was left over at the end of the month—which usually wasn’t much.
Everything changed when we reversed that thinking.
Instead of treating our financial goal as “whatever is left over,” we intentionally made it one of the first decisions in our budget. We committed to it before other discretionary expenses had a chance to compete for those dollars.
That single change created momentum.
Our goals stopped feeling impossible because we were finally funding them consistently.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett summarized this principle perfectly:
“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
This idea is often called “paying yourself first.” Instead of hoping money remains at the end of the month, you intentionally direct money toward your future before everyday spending quietly consumes it.
Elder L. Tom Perry taught the same principle from a different perspective:
“After paying your tithing of 10 percent to the Lord, you pay yourself a predetermined amount directly into savings. That leaves you a balance of your income to budget for taxes, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, etc. It is amazing to me that so many people work all of their lives for the grocer, the landlord, the power company, the automobile salesman, and the bank, and yet think so little of their own efforts that they pay themselves nothing.”
Whether your priorities begin with charitable giving or another deeply held value, the principle remains the same: intentionally fund your future before your remaining discretionary spending.
The truth is, your bills will always compete for your attention. There will always be another purchase, another expense, or another reason to wait until next month.
If your financial goal always comes last, it will rarely receive what it needs to succeed.
But when you intentionally make your future a priority, something remarkable happens. Progress replaces frustration. Small, consistent deposits create real momentum. Over time, those small decisions add up to financial freedom.
Your budget should reflect what matters most to you—not just today, but years from now.
Don’t make your future what’s left over.
Make it a priority.
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