Last week, I initiated the comeback contest of #thebudgetchallenge which is very far from the challenges you guys are familiar with. My purpose for creating this finance-related challenge is to aid our fellow Steemians with their financial growth.

This time, I challenged our fellow Steemians to share their daily budget plan. To see more of the challenge’s details, click HERE.

I honestly think this undertaking will not excite our fellow Steemians, but it turns out to be the exact opposite just like the first budget challenge contest. Fourteen promising Steemians just shared how they were able to manage their finances, and I am beyond grateful to read those creative and effortful daily budget plans and spending habits.

Again, I am undergoing a tough phase of picking the three entries that stood the most because I believe all of the participants should be greatly rewarded for their impressive efforts. In fact, I consider all of them as winners!

Before anything else, I would like to thank all of the participants who took time in sharing their daily budget with us. I hope you will constantly apply those learnings in your daily lives.

This is the total payout of the budget challenge post:

These are actual SBD rewards based on the prizes' percentage:

• 1st : 35% - 4.27 SBD
• 2nd : 25% - 3.05 SBD
• 3rd : 15% - 1.83 SBD
• Reward pool for other participants – 3.05 SBD

I actually based my judgment on the criteria that I have given and I have to be honest that there are three people who share the same score for the third place. So instead of revising the reward pool, I added 3.66 SBDs (1.83 SBD for the other two winners). Technically, there are five winners and the other nine participants will share the remaining 3.05 SBD.

1st Placer: @christianyocte (96%)

_{How a Working Student Survived College}

Being a working student was very difficult especially in managing my finances. I admit there were times when I intentionally do not pay for my fare in the jeepney (Mokong Pa More) for shortage of budget and also there were times when I walked from the tricycle terminal to our home. But all those sacrifices paid off when I finished my studies and eventually landed a permanent job as public high school teacher the year after my graduation.

2nd Placer: @abchro (94%)

_{Approach in my Financial Management | Recipe to Success}

In my experience now, that 30% allocation is an excess budget for my wants. Since I have these 3 considerations before buying something that is only to satisfy my wants. First is Can I afford this? Second, Do I really need this? And lastly, Do I like this thing? (sometimes we really don't like that certain material, the urge to buy that is influenced by the trends)

3rd Placers: @jemzem, @chuuuckie, @morken (91%)

_{The Budget Challenge – How I Spend My Money Daily by @jemzem}

And when I got my first stable job, I continued budgeting my finances. But it’s really true that “once your salary increases, your expenses will also increase” for most employees because of their changed lifestyle. I was one of those employees whose expenses suddenly increased when a high salary is received. For me, as long as I have my job, I can buy what I want. That belief lasted for few months until my workmate introduced Bo Sanchez to us.

_{The Way I have Budgeted my Money and the Reasons Why I am not scared to Spend | Money well Budgeted and Spent during my Two-day Seminar in Tagbilaran City, Bohol by @morken}

Let us not forget to properly differentiate budgeting from spending. They are two mainly different activities in handling our money. Budgeting is done before spending while spending is done after budgeting. Budget wisely for you to spend smartly.

_{How I Spend my Money : A Super Thifty Technique (Tips and Tricks) by @chuuuckie
by @morken}

I am very thrifty when in regards to saving money for a purpose. I also need to bring my own extra rice because it would be a lot more expensive inside the canteen.

To all who participated in this challenge, @christianyocte, @purpleshangz, @daisydelta, @jemzem, @ja9garnett, @kayegrasya, @josephace135, @chuuckie, @liamnov, @carlitojoshua, @abchro, @morken, @jaderpogi, and @nikkabomb, please accept my deepest gratitude. I hope you'll continue living within your means even after this challenge.

May your dreams come true,

@smaeunabs

Previously-posted finance-related articles that you can learn from:

• Three Ways to Invest in the Stock Market

• The 18th Cycle Registration for FarmOn.ph Is Now Open

• The Silent Phase of the Market Will Reveal The Investor In You

• Different Investment Vehicles that You Can Ride Towards Financial Freedom

• Factors to Consider Before You Start Investing

• A Summary of My Financial Activities for the First Quarter of the Year

• Different Budgeting Techniques

• Main Reasons Why You Are Unable to Save All-Year Round

• Should Your Long-term Savings be in Banks?

• Important Points to Consider Before Taking a Loan

• My Credit Story: How I Managed to Pay-Off Someone Else’s Debt

• Four Common Financial Mistakes a Millennial should avoid

• How do you keep track of your Income and Expenses?

• TRAIN Law and its Counter Effects to Filipino Consumers

• Are You Prepared to Invest?

• Strategies for an Effective Cash out of Steemit Earnings

• How Does Decisiveness Affect Your Finances: Explained Through Trading SBD on Bittrex

• Three Important Things to Learn from Cryptocurrency Market Crash

• Understanding Money’s Liquidity: How to Apply it to Steemit Earnings?

• Invest in Philippine Stock Market for as Low as 5,000 Pesos

• Eight Lessons From “The Budget Challenge” Everyone Must Learn From

• Invest in Learnings

• ICO – A Road to Million?

• What Is Your Budget Principle?

• Basic Understanding Of Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency