Better Budget

I've heard it said that a budget can be your friend. Well, I need a friend. Every month I write out the bills that I know are coming and their due date. On payday I send the bills that are due that next week. The problem is I always have an unexpected expenditure come up that was not in the budget. Therefore, I am always behind. I tried using Budget Simple and I think it would work, but I am more a paper and pencil kinda girl. After reading this at No Credit Needed I decided to give this method a try. My husband and I sat down tonight and did out budget for October in about five minutes. I realized very quickly I need to work some extra hours next month (bummer). We weren't able to fill anything in the savings category and Christmas is coming. We did base the budget on the lowest income we could expect, so I will hope for a better month than our worst. How do some of you budget? Any ideas? I am bound and determined to make a balanced budget. Wish me luck!