ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Creating A Household Budget
Creating a budget can be a very difficult task. Although we as consumers know that we need to pay our bills, buy our necessities, and put money away for savings, we don't really know how to start. I know from personal experience how hard creating a budget can be. In the beginning stages of my road to financial freedom, I would write all my expenses down on paper and noticed that I had little and sometime nothing left over to save. I tell my clients that seeing everything on paper is only the first of many reality checks while getting their finances in order. I think all advisors in the financial world can agree that using categories helps tremendously. Everyone will not have the same categories thus making every budget unique. A category simply is nothing more than a grouping. Instead of listing each credit card bill separately on my budget, I will give all of my credit cards a category, for example I will list it as "debt". Some popular budgeting categories are housing, savings, utilities, donations, healthcare, miscellaneous and income to name a few. There are many budgeting software programs out there. I suggest however, that in the beginning stages of creating a budget you should continue to do things manually. This way you are constantly viewing your money and staying in touch with your expenses. Another very important task of a successful budget is keeping up with your expenses and all of your receipts. Now, I know this is difficult especially when buying what we think are small things but believe me it is very significant, especially for married couples. If one spouse is spending over $4.00 a day 7 days a week on a cappuccino, that one purchase is costing your household $120.00 a month. To help solve this difficult task, keep a box in a common area and commit to tossing all your daily receipts in that particular box. When you sit down to work on your budget pull out all the receipts and categorize them. I suggest you do this weekly in the beginning. The box can fill up pretty quickly, especially when two people are contributing their individual receipts. Last but not least place your categories in a percentage list. For example look at your life in the eyes of a lender. You should spend no more than 35% of your gross income on rent or a mortgage payment including tax and insurance. If you're spending more than 35% adjust your budget according to your true picture. However the total of all your categories cannot exceed 100%. Once you tally-up your actual budgeting totals, compare them to your translated percentage dollar amounts and see how you rate. Most will find out that they have a lot of work to do. If you find that creating and sticking to a budget is overwhelming, seek the help of a professional. Dina D. Harbour, Financial Coach All Rights Reserved Financial Management Experience: Since that time, she has worked as a Loan Closer for the SBA, Loan Officer for ACORN Housing, Trust Assistant for Wells Fargo Bank, and successfully won a $5000 laws suit against Equifax Credit Bureau in 2002 for reporting improper credit information. She has over 18 years experience helping people understand the importance of debt and credit. She has given many seminars over the years to Non-Profit Organizations, Libraries and private groups.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
UK Graduates Looking Short-Term At Their Long-Term Financial Responsibilities With almost two thirds of university entrants from England and Wales who applied for maintenance grants for this year being unsuccessful, and the average graduate owing £13,501 when they leave, according to Barclays, combined with a survey by High Fliers Research showing that only 21% of students were confident of managing to enter a graduate-level job this year, it is not surprising that there is a feeling of gloom hanging over many UK university entrants. Want Your Savings to Earn a Higher Rate of Return? Try Internet Banking Doesn't it seem like the only impressive numbers we've seen this summer are the digits on the thermostat and the unaffordable prices of homes? Real estate has been excruciatingly hot for the past few years, but getting in the market now puts you in the high-risk category for a heat stroke if the market decides to cool off this year. 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. Whats The Truth Behind Your Finances? Between 15 - 20% of people in our country (UK) own there own businesses. This statistic is on the rise thanks to the incredible invention of the Internet. The staggering truth is that of these only 5% are genuinely financially free! You may well see lots of expensive cars driving on our roads and big houses inhabited by the seemingly wealthy, but these houses and cars are not yet paid for. Simple Ways to Save Money Things are so expensive these days. We seem to be hearing, and saying, that a lot lately at the gas pump, in the grocery store and especially when paying bills. But there are simple ways to help save money without making sacrifices in your lifestyle. Small savings can turn into large rewards for little effort. Personal Finance - Have Consumers Had a Belly Full of Personal Debt? For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes, holidays and service charges on our credit cards. We wanted mortgages, we took out loans, we watched Property Ladder and What Not To Wear. Whether you were born middle class, had middle class aspirations, you became middle class through your spending. Debt united people around the UK, we sympathised with each other on what we couldn't afford ? but it didn't matter, we still bought it. Soon everybody had a bottle of Jacob's Creek in their kitchen and olives and humous in the fridge. 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. Why Live Frugally What is it about being frugal, why do it at all? Actually, some people don't do it at all, they have decided that what they want and desire is what they are going to get and they feel they deserve it. I have no trouble with that; more power to ya, live long and prosper and may you die with the most toys. However, for me, I find little value in the things around me. 10 Steps To Improve Your Financial Situation Here are ten steps you can follow to help improve your personal financial situation and inevitably save more money: Government Grants - Beware of Scams As the saying goes: "Buyer Beware". If you see ads claiming you qualify to receive a "free grant" for education, to start a home business or to payoff unpaid bills, be wary. Scam artists will claim your grant application is guaranteed to be accepted and approved, and you never have to repay the money. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that these grant offers are often a scam. The grant isn't free, nor is it guaranteed, nor is a refund. According to the FTC, some scam artists market "free grants" in classified ads and even provide a toll free phone number. Here's an example of what happens when you call: A company representative asks non-threatening, simple questions to supposedly determine if you qualify to receive a grant. The representative then acts as if he/she is checking your eligibility, and then congratulates you as being eligible. But for you to get the grant information from them, they will charge you a processing fee. Although they will promise you that the grant is guaranteed or you can get your money back, the truth is far different. They will tell you that the processing fee is for finding a grant source and sending you the appropriate application package in the mail. But you won't receive an application or a source. Instead they send you a list of agencies and foundations which you must write and request an application. In order to get your refund, you must apply to; and be rejected by, all these agencies within 90 days. Most grantors don't award grants to individuals for personal needs. Generally grants are to serve mankind and communities as a whole, such as job expansion, training under-employed youth, preserving history, funding charities, art museums, or for researching medical issues. So, even if you're in a financial hardship, or you may be an unwed mother, a single parent, a minority, etc, you're not likely to approved. And you may as well forget about getting a refund from the grant "broker" because the conditions for a refund are nearly impossible, requiring you to apply at every grantor on the list they provided to you and be denied by each resource within 90 days. If even one resource doesn't reject you within the first 90 days, you won't get your refund, nor will you get it back if the rejections are past the 90 day requirement. If you're thinking about applying for a grant, remember that the applications are available to you for free and that anyone who guarantees you a grant is likely to be interested in their own financial gain, not yours. If you think you may have been a victim of a grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC by visiting www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Don't fall for grant scams. Use the free resources available to you at public libraries, on the internet, and at www.creditfederal.com/government-grant.html How to Choose the Right Bank for Your Online Business You should thoroughly consider your business needs when selecting a financial institution or bank for your small/home business. You may want to consider the following points: Personal Checks ? Extreme Benefits Millions of people have a checking account and many people have two of three. They have the choice of choosing a variety of check designs to compliment the checking account. The styles range from solid color checks to more intricate designs that reflect the personality. Budgets And Eating - Can They Co-Exist? Whatever your reason for having a tight budget, the truth is that going to the grocery store without a plan is a BIG budget breaker. And sadly all that cash ends up vanishing into our stomachs and then...well, you know what comes next. Budgeting Tips to Save Real Money Sticking to a budget can be difficult, but with so many demands on your finances you have to be extra cautious. TV ads are constantly bombarding the airwaves with messages that you need to buy this or you must have that. Usually, if you just wait a week or two, the urge to buy that new gadget will pass. But, what should you do if you have already spent more than you have? The following are several real world ideas that can help you save real dollars. Budgeting your Savings - Did You Let Your Piggy Bank Get Away? I think most of us have at some point in our lives. Some how we forget to feed the little piggy. And, like most neglected "pets", your piggy bank will disappear if you don't feed it. A personal budget is important to create financial independence and setting goals for feeding that "piggy bank" should be an important part of your budget! 5 Ways to Absolutely Destroy Your Finances! Ben Stein has a book called How to Ruin Your Finances. To be honest, I'm not sure an entire book is needed on the subject-there are some fairly quick and easy ways to accomplish the task. (Before continuing, let me be clear that I do not actually recommend such activities-This is a reductio absurdum argument, meant to spur an opposing realization.) A Quck Lesson in Saving Money Did you have a piggy bank when you were a child? I did. Mine sat empty for a long time until my mother convinced me that I should really start putting my pennies and nickels into it in order to save my money for when I was older and wanted to buy something. Financial Readiness: Preparing for BRAC (Base Realignment And Closing) The recommendations for military base closings have been released and the news is not good. If the recommendations are accepted, you will lose your job. So what do you do? Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Identity Theft is a Major Problem: Whose Responsibility is It to Protect the Consumer? We have heard a lot about consumers' personal information getting into the hands of identity thieves. More and more people are taking steps to minimize their exposure to such theft by reducing information on personal checks, refusing to share social security numbers with just anyone who asks, being prudent in their use of credit cards, and shredding "junk" mail that might allow another person to pose as them. However, we can do little to protect ourselves against lackadaisical security methods or unscrupulous business practices. Save Money Off Your Home Utility Bills Many don't realize that our basic utility bills provide the perfect money saving opportunity for practically every household!
|
|
|
|
|
