Learn How To Balance Your Personal Finances
Posted at by ifydcat on category Personal FinanceThe basic concept behind balancing your finances is not to spend over what you make. With the easy availability of credit, it is easy to charge something that you really cannot afford to buy. Many people treat credit like money, but often it is money that they do not have. Avoid falling into this trap. Get back control of your personal finances.
The most important tool in managing your personal finances is your budget. Your budget documents how much money comes into your household and how much money goes out. When you create your budget, write down the sources of your income, like your salary and any other that comes in regularly. Then, write down your expenses. Separate your expenses into the fixed expenses that you must spend on, like your insurance and your mortgage or rent, and variable expenses that you spend on, like food, utilities, etc. Your variable expenses are the amounts that you can manipulate in order to get your total spending down below your monthly income. Getting your expenses below your income is your goal.
Be diligent in balancing your checkbook. Pay close attention to the ending balance of your checking account after every you write. When you have insufficient funds in your checking account, your check will bounce and you will pay costly penalties.
The best way to avoid debt is buy paying with cash. Using credit gives you a false security that you can afford something. A lot of people max out on their credit limit, then fail to pay off balance. This starts them sinking deeper and deeper into debt as the finance charges pile up. When you pay with cash, you do not have that danger. You can only spend the money that you have on hand. If you do not have enough money to buy something, then do not buy it.
Keep a file of your bank statements. Monitor the balance every month to make sure that there are no errors.
Make a filing system of all your receipts. This is a visual representation of all the things that you buy. Enter those receipts into your budget to see how you measure up in keeping your spending below your income.
Steer yourself away from the temptation of impulse buying. Before you go shopping, make a list of things that you plan to get. Avoid going shopping just for the sake of browsing. You may be lured by big “sale” signs into buying something that you do not need. Retailers know that weakness about consumers, and they take full advantage of that. You must become a savvy consumer and not be influenced by these sales signs.
If you can control your finances and stop wasting money, you will be surprised at how much you can afford on the the things that you really need. Get started with creating your budget, and commit to spending below your income. Make an effort to save. The sooner you start doing this, the sooner you can get your finances back into shape.