How to Budget Successfully Without Enough Money
I was speaking with my mother-in-law the other day and she mentioned that she doesn't budget because she knows she'll be in the red. She was basically implying that it wouldn't do any good.
A mindset like this terribly prevalent. I suppose that's a valid concern. Why would you budget when there isn't enough money? Read further to find out exactly why.
Even if you have more bills than money available to pay them, the exercise of thoughtfully looking at what you have on hand and deciding BEFOREHAND what you will do with it is extremely important. Instead of throwing all efforts to the wind, simply look at your checking account balance and assign every one of those dollars a job. Give each dollar a purpose: mortgage, groceries, entertainment, etc. This conscientious decision making is key.
In the situation where there truly isn't enough money, you'll still be rattling off obligations and the money will have dried up. That doesn't mean the work done didn't produce any fruit! When you set priorities to your money, you're maximizing exactly what it will be doing and your dollars will stretch further. That's key in starting and learning how to budget.
Besides planning ahead, you'll also want to make sure you record what your spending. Again, it doesn't matter if you're spending in to the red because the exercise of MANUALLY recording what you're spending will be like a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. You may still be bleeding a little bit, but it won't be nearly as bad.
The exercise of manual recording increases awareness and strengthens the psychological connection between you and your money. These days, every other interest out there wants you to spend your money without considering your own circumstances. This is hardly a way to budget! Record your spending and you'll become painfuly conscious of where you can shave spending.
In the end, planning ahead and recording the ongoing will help you budget effectively. Even if you're operating at a deficit, your losses will be mitigated through the use of these two budgeting tactics.
A mindset like this terribly prevalent. I suppose that's a valid concern. Why would you budget when there isn't enough money? Read further to find out exactly why.
Even if you have more bills than money available to pay them, the exercise of thoughtfully looking at what you have on hand and deciding BEFOREHAND what you will do with it is extremely important. Instead of throwing all efforts to the wind, simply look at your checking account balance and assign every one of those dollars a job. Give each dollar a purpose: mortgage, groceries, entertainment, etc. This conscientious decision making is key.
In the situation where there truly isn't enough money, you'll still be rattling off obligations and the money will have dried up. That doesn't mean the work done didn't produce any fruit! When you set priorities to your money, you're maximizing exactly what it will be doing and your dollars will stretch further. That's key in starting and learning how to budget.
Besides planning ahead, you'll also want to make sure you record what your spending. Again, it doesn't matter if you're spending in to the red because the exercise of MANUALLY recording what you're spending will be like a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. You may still be bleeding a little bit, but it won't be nearly as bad.
The exercise of manual recording increases awareness and strengthens the psychological connection between you and your money. These days, every other interest out there wants you to spend your money without considering your own circumstances. This is hardly a way to budget! Record your spending and you'll become painfuly conscious of where you can shave spending.
In the end, planning ahead and recording the ongoing will help you budget effectively. Even if you're operating at a deficit, your losses will be mitigated through the use of these two budgeting tactics.
About the Author:
Jesse Mecham has put together an outstanding course outlining exactly how to budget. You'll discover four effective guidelines for personal budgeting that will have you getting out of debt and saving more money in 10 days or less.
posted by Credit Counseling at
7:58 AM
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