How To Setup A budget.
I was reviewing some of my future articles and realized that I constantly tell you to start a budget, but never explain how. Well, today I will explain the steps to creating a budget designed just for you… by you of course. You will need pen, paper, copies of all your bills, and to make a list of everything you will spend money on in the next 3 months. It is important to remember that a budget is not meant to restrict your spending, it is to help you become a better spender and a better saver of your money.
Making the list:
The first thing you need to start doing is to make a list of everything you buy over the next 3 months. This is not required to start your budget, but you will need it to help you fine tune your budget later. This will provide a visual of where all your money goes and help you to cut spending. Take a small notepad with you and write down everything you buy and how much it cost. Do not leave anything out, you will only be cheating yourself.
All That You Make:
Now you will need a list of all your income. If you are paid on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, try to add it up so you can view it as monthly amount. Make sure you list all your income, if you leave out any it will throw your budget off. Include your online auctions, stock trading, Adsense, and any other source of earnings you have.
Bills Bills Bills:
You will also need a list of all you monthly expenses. Mortgage, insurance information, car payment, entertainment, utilities etc…. Do not forget to include things that you do not get a bill for, such as church offerings, Starbucks coffee, trading software fees, Itunes and Iphone apps. It is very important to include entertainment expenses, this is a part of your life and should not be left out.
The moment of truth:
After you have all these listed, total the amounts and subtract you monthly expenses from your total monthly income. If your income exceeds your bills, use the extra to pay off your debts faster or add to your retirement. If your bills exceed your income you will need to cuts some expenses. Try starting with the things that you can live with out. If you are paying for things you do not use cancel them and redirect the money towards other bills. The 3 months list of your expenditures will help you to find other places you can cut expenses as well.
Once your income and your bills are equal the next step is to automate the paying of your bills. This will keep your bills paid on time and your savings growing without you lifting a finger. I will get into automating your bills next post, I try to keep my posts short, so they are quick easy reads.
Link to this page