I've been there...doing the math as you're out to eat with friends, making sure you actually have enough in your account to Venmo for the bill. Or, at the end of the month, ruthlessly cutting back on spending down to mostly eating peanut butter toast just so you can not have your rent check bounce. It's not fun, but thankfully there's ways to set yourself up for success that will help you navigate your remote journey.
Build good habits
The first point I want to make here is that a budget is not for everyone...but that's not to say they don't work. Designating your spend to a max amount across categories (groceries, eating out, gifts, etc) does really help nip excessive spending in the bud.
Some folks though, need more reenforcement: a common method to curtail spending is putting physical cash in separate envelopes assigned to categories, so that you literally can't spend more than what you've allocated (unless you're using a credit card, which is a whole separate rabbit hole).
Or, you can also build out a 'reverse budget', meaning that your checking, investment, savings, and all accounts are set up to automatically transfer to each other set amounts or percentages upon receiving your direct deposit. This can leave you with designated spending money, saving money, rent money, etc. I prefer this method personally, but really budgeting is all about knowing your habits and how much structure you need to control yourself
Another essential habit aside from budgeting- building up your emergency fund, and actually having it be designated towards emergencies. To be clear: your favorite band coming to town is not an emergency, having your car completely fall apart on you or losing your job is. It's commonly recommended to have this fund consist of at least 3-6 months of take home pay, which can take years to fully build up.
Contributing to this fund with every paycheck will help it grow over time to get to that amount, so don't expect to have a sufficient emergency fund right out of the gate. Regardless, going into debt for an emergency is a nightmare scenario and one that should be avoided at all costs. You'll thank yourself when an emergency arises, and you have a buffer of cash to cover it.
On the theme of slowly contributing, the last crucial habit to build is planning for retirement. If you haven't yet, contact your employer and see if they offer a 401k for you to contribute to (and better yet, if they will match some of your contributions). In my first real job I had no idea what this was or how to put money into it, nor did I know how important it was. I'll spare you the lecture on why it's crucial to start early, but see this Business Insider article if you're curious about the stark difference between starting to invest in retirement at 25 years old vs at 35.
Set aside the 10 minutes it'll take to investigate this, and start having a portion of your paycheck (common advice recommends 5-15% of take home pay) go directly into the 401k. Make sure it's being invested in something also, and isn't just sitting there as cash. Otherwise, your money isn't going to grow over the years due to not taking advantage of the wonder of compound interest (earning interest on interest).
If you have the option to contribute to a Roth IRA as well, it would likely be an excellent idea to. You may have to do this on your own and not through your employer- there are super easy options to set up an account through Vanguard, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity. The beauty of a Roth IRA is your earnings can grow tax-free, meaning it's taxed when the money goes into your account, and upon withdrawal years later, can be taken out tax-free.
Maximize your income
There are typically three major 'buckets' that people spend the most on: transportation, housing, and food. Thankfully, as a remote worker, you might have more control over the first and last bucket than someone who has to commute every day.
For instance, it might be a lot more tempting for an in office worker to eat out multiple times a week, but if you're already home, it's easier to convince yourself to make your own food. Additionally, commuters almost always have to spend on transportation of some sort (gas, train tickets, etc), whilst as a remote employee you can really shrink this spend significantly.
Optimizing these areas can leave you with a lot more disposable income than you might otherwise have if you made the trek to an office 5 days a week. You have the flexibility to cut back relentlessly on groceries & food costs, and spend minimally on transportation. This could allow you to spend a bit more on a place to live, so that you can have a comfortable remote work setup and feel at home where you'll be spending most of your working days. This is a significant advantage that the WFH life can give you, if utilized properly.
If you feel like your work has been consistently above standards in your WFH journey, also think about opportunities to earn more. Are you eligible to pursue a promotion? Are jobs at other companies of similar nature paying more? Or, do you feel as if you're underpaid for what you deliver and could negotiate a raise? All of these are considerations you might want to have periodically to make sure you aren't remaining stagnant.
Also, maybe there are opportunities to bring in income outside of your 9-5, if you want some extra cash. Being an Uber or Lyft driver or delivering food have become popular and manageable side hustles for many. There's also options to do odd jobs, walk dogs, pick up freelance work, or rent out a bedroom if you're looking for some buffer room in your bank account. It seems like there's an endless amount of apps that put money earning potential in your pocket nowadays- essentially if you have the time, you can earn side money without a boss.
Avoid pitfalls
Remote work can prove stressful and taxing, and sometimes these emotions can lead to poor decision making. If you're an impulse spender, recognize what your triggers are, and how you can curb them before you act on them. Or maybe you're spending a lot on vices to deal with the daily grind, such as drugs, alcohol, or gambling. It's okay to seek help and talk to a friend or a trusted professional if you feel like it's becoming a financial and personal burden for you, as overindulgence in anything can be a checkbook's worst enemy.
It can be easy to feel somewhat separated from the outside world after working from home day after day, and so every now and then you'll probably scroll through social media seeing wild influencers driving exotic cars, random dudes claiming they made millions off of a bogus crypto coin, or gurus telling you they can make you filthy rich with one simple secret. I think cutting through the noise you'll see online is especially hard given the isolation WFH employees face, and thus they might be more susceptible to fall prey to grifters and BS being sold on social media. Always think twice about who you take advice from, what you're being sold, and if something sounds too good to be true.
Lastly, but certainly not least- remember to have fun. Budgeting and investing are super important in the long term, but equally as important is creating lasting memories in the short term. Make sure you spend at least some of what you're paid on simple pleasures in life, and enjoy what you're most passionate about with the people you love the most. At the end of the day, that's what you'll remember most fondly, and what good is work if there's nothing fun that it's going towards?