Budgeting: A Tough Love Way to Handle Your Household Budget
Developing and living by a household budget is by far the best way to get your expenses under control which, in turn, can mean a much less stressful life. However, many families find it very difficult to stick to a budget. It does take hard work and a lot of self-discipline, at least in the beginning. The good news is that most families find the longer they can stick to a budget, the easier it becomes. This is because sticking to a budget eventually becomes an unconscious habit, just like driving a car. And once it becomes a habit, the budgeting process just sort of goes on cruise control and requires much less thought or effort. But what do you do during those first three, four or six months, when sticking to a budget feels so difficult? There are several answers to this. The first is to make sure your budget categories are realistic. You may think you can get by with $100 a week for groceries, but is this real? Do you have checks or receipts that verify how much you have been spending at the grocery store? You really need to know. Otherwise, you may budget too little. In turn, this becomes frustrating because you will always be over budget. Second, make sure you have all categories covered. There are some categories that are easy -- rent, mortgage payment, utilities, car payments, etc. But think hard about all other categories such as clothing, eating out, prescriptions, pet care, tuition, books, allowances, movies, CDs and DVDs, and computer software and games, to name a few. If you don't budget for all these kind of expenses, I promise they will bust your budget. Finally, if you find you just can't seem to stick to your budget, here's a sort of tough love answer. Go to your nearest office supply store and buy a box of #10 envelopes. Take them out and label one for each of your budget categories. Then write on each envelope the amount you have budgeted for that category. For the purpose of this exercise, it is not necessary to break down general categories into subcategories. For example, you can label one envelope "entertainment" and not worry about envelopes for "movies," "eating out," "DVDs," etc. Just be sure the number you write on the envelope for any general category represents the sum of all its subcategories. When you next get paid, cash your paycheck and bring it all home in $50, $20 and $10 bills. Then put and amount of cash in each of the envelopes equal to the amount you budgeted for that particular 6category. Now, as you need to pay bills or buy groceries, etc., use the cash in the corresponding envelopes to pay them. You will know when you have reached the budgeted amount for any category because its envelope will be empty. What do you do when you find an envelope is empty? You do nothing. That category is all finished for this pay period. If the envelope is empty and you still have expenses, either you haven't budgeted correctly or you have overspent. You might be able to fudge and take funds from another category envelope. For example, if you have a week to go and are $40 short for groceries, you might be able to take the $40 out of the entertainment envelope. Just keep in mind this means $40 less for entertainment. Do this for a few months and I promise you will not only learn to budget accurately, you will learn to stick to your budget. For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Place an Online Order for Checks ? It is Easy as 1-2-3
If You Have an Existing Account and 5 Minutes, You Can Place Your Online Order that Easy!
Bank On It: Places to Hide and Invest Money
Today I passed a thermometer at a bank that read 110 degrees, but I am not telling you that to show you how hot it was. I am telling you that because this bank really needs to fix their thermometer. According to their thermometer, it was also 110 degrees in December. There are a lot of people, places and things that can be more accurate with the weather, and as I've never said (but have always wanted to), "Whatever I trust with the weather is what I also trust with my money." Here are some examples:
How To Survive The Grocery Shopping Blues
If you are the normal consumer, then you've probably experienced the Grocery Shopping Blues. Most supermarkets use this trick to their advantage to squeeze more money out of their customers and turn a tidy little profit for themselves.
Credit Card Debt ? Watch Your Credit Report and Your Bill
Most consumers are aware of the importance of their credit report. This document, offered to consumers and lenders by the three major credit bureaus, offers a fairly complete list of financial transactions and debts incurred by a consumer. Lenders examine the report, along with the associated FICO score, to determine whether a consumer is worthy of receiving additional credit or loans. What many consumers may not know is that credit card companies regularly check their credit reports, and unfavorable entries may result in a higher interest rate on their credit cards.
Money Saving Tips. Maximize Savings on Everyday Items!
Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It's a passion.
Call Me Crazy! I love It!
Do You Really Need the Power of Money Management Software?
I have been a loyal user of Quicken(R) for more years than I can remember. But a conversation the other day with my youngest son started me wondering whether or not I really need money management software.
Adverse Debt Levels Blight UK Consumers Personal Finances
Debt levels are at an all time high in the UK. The younger generation tend to be feeling the pinch the most, but parents are increasingly being required to bail them out, often at great expense to their own limited mortgage or retirement savings.
Single Mother Resources Directs You Towards Success
As a parent you are bound to face a few challenges but as a single mother you are bound to face challenges almost everyday. Raising a child is not meant to be done alone however today it is occurring more often then traditional value holders would like to see.
Chex Systems ? Why Every American Needs To Guard His Checking Account With His Life
Most Americans have been brought up to be concerned about a good personal credit rating, because of the role a positive rating can play in your long term plans; purchasing a home, buying a car, getting a business loan, etc. They have also been made to understand that the premier organizations that pretty much hold the key to their financial futures are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.
7 Simple Ways To Save Money
Each of us knows how to spend money, but do we really know how to save our money? No, I am not necessarily talking about setting aside funds for an investments purposes ? a good thing ? but saving money on everyday items. Here are seven simple ways you can save money:
How to Save Money in a Grocery Store
Now there are ways to save money in the grocery store, and they may or may not take much effort on your part to learn some great ways to save money. Your greater savings can often be found in the perishable departments of a grocery store. The perishable departments are the bakery, meat, and produce departments. Looking at the grocery ads can also be of great assistance. Also, believe it or not something as simple as writing down a list can help you save money. I'll show you a few techniques that will help you save money.
What is ChexSystems?
Commonly referred to as the first of the three major "Check Systems" in the U.S., Chex Systems is an association of financial institutions that network together in order to develop a database that maintains the records of mutually unwanted customers. To make sure that only financially responsible individuals open up checking accounts at member institutions, these banks report on customers who demonstrate poor financial management skills. When a customer's checking account is closed due to demonstrated mismanagement, then he or she is reported to Chex Systems. Once done, the customer will have a very difficult time opening up an account at any other financial institution partnered with Chex Systems for the next five years.
How To Reap The Rewards With Rewards Programs
Recently, many of these loyalty rewards programs have come to the realization that they must change how they put these programs together if they are going to increase their share of the market.
Live Green; Save Green!
Have you seen the recent article on a new "green" residential high rise in Battery Park? It's called The Solaire. For a look at the hopeful future of architectural efficiency, check out the myriad of cost saving and environmentally-friendly features of the building:
I Want to Buy a Home - Now What?
If you were to ask 100 women "What would you like to achieve financially?" Buying a home or apartment is usually one of the answers. Some women think that they can never own a home - which is not true! In fact, there are so many success stories of home buyers who never thought they would get there. In addition, homeowners tend to have greater financial success in the other areas of their finances life. I've seen it over and over.
Personal Loans For Homeowners ? One Of The Numerous Rewards For Being A Homeowner
You no longer look at the pictures of homes cause you yourself bought one. Well, you know how you got that, it was a huge investment. Now that you are facing some financial issues and you are thinking of taking a loan to cope with monetary crisis. Taking loans is a growing phenomenon. And this has a lot to do with the changing configuration of the current economic scene. Monetary and fiscal requirement of the people have increased and in turn led to increase in loan borrowing. So, it is not exceptional that you are looking for loans. If you are a homeowner in the pursuit of personal loan, all I can say is "you are fortunate".
A Fresh Start for Family Finances in 2005
While 40% to 50% of us make New Year's resolutions on January 1-a ritual that has existed since ancient times-approximately 60% to 80% of us have already broken them by the end of February, according to researchers.
Personal Finance ? Why You Should Compare, not Despair
Sorting out your personal finances can be a tricky and exasperating time. Whether you are looking to obtain money through a loan, protect your finances with life insurance, medical, travel or car insurance, save some money through an individual savings account (ISA), apply for a credit card or a mortgage, change a telephone or fuel utility supplier, or simply decide what the best current account is for your needs, the choices are seemingly endless as well as being extremely complicated. They can also be potentially serious if you get it wrong. With so many options, and so many companies trying to get you to use their product, it is difficult to know where to turn.
Risky Business: You May Not be as Daring as You Think
I thought I was through with exams when I finished college. Then my financial adviser (a.k.a. stockbroker) had me take a test to measure my tolerance for risk. He said, there were no right or wrong answers, but I knew better.
Students Investing in Their Future Need to Manage Their Finances Today
With the A-level results coming out, the long wait for UK school leavers hoping to go to university will soon be over. All the hard work that has been put into achieving the grades required will now pay off and the fun and freedom that is student life can begin. This may have been the case in the past, but the notion that university life is socially and financially responsibility free is now lamentably outdated. These days, if you want to study beyond the age of 18, learning becomes very expensive.
|
