Budgeting Articles

One of the most effective ways to track and manage your finances is through software. With charts, spreadsheets, bill pay reminders, and other handy features, money management software helps take the hassle out of budgeting and finances for many people and can help alleviate some of the apprehension that comes along with being in charge of the household finances.

Budgeting software is especially important for those who have a variable income. If you have a variable income, or your income is dependent upon products or services you sell or if you work on commission rather than a fixed paycheck you receive every week or so, you may have different needs regarding budgeting. For example, you may need to set aside extra money for taxes each month, because it does not come out of your check automatically. Or, you may find you have to prioritize spending (bills now, school clothes later) a little differently.

"Best budgeting software for variable incomes" »

Posted by K at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the biggest mistakes people make in their financial lives in not having a budget. While you would never start out on a long road trip without a map to guide you many people attempt to navigate their financial lives with no idea where they are going. They simply assume that since they have money coming in and bills being paid that they are doing all right. This type of thinking is the same thing as assuming you know where a particular landmark is (without ever being there) and just driving until you reach it. A budget can work as a map to guide you through financial pitfalls and more importantly help you reach the financial goals you have set up for yourself. While everyone's financial needs are different there are basic budgeting strategies that every one can use. Here is what you need to know about how to set up a budget that works for your lifestyle-

"How to set up a budget that works for your lifestyle" »

Posted by K at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Planning is a major part of finances and income. There is however sometimes when an income varies and planning becomes hard. Here are 5 tips for living on a variable income.

1. Plan ahead.
2. Plan on the least amount of income and save when there is more.
3. Save 6 months of expenses for emergencies if you can.
4. Sign up for monthly payments when you can.
5. Pay expenses before wants.

Plan ahead. You may have heard this before, but it is true. When you plan ahead, you can be prepared for the variable income. Living on a variable income will require a person to plan ahead as to what they need to pay for, what they want to buy, and then what they need to wait for because of lack of funds.

"Tips for living on a variable income" »

Posted by K at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Checking accounts are great and checks are so handy when you don't want to carry around a lot of cash. But sometimes a check may bounce and then you are charged big fees by the bank and where you wrote the check. How can you learn to never bounce a check? Well, the key is to stay on top of your finances. Another great help is to get your finances on your computer and online. When you write a check you always need keep track of the purchase amount, date and check number. You may want to consider overdraft protection, which is available from your bank.

How to begin to never bounce a check is to stay on top of your finances. This means to have a balanced checkbook and checking account. It also means to know what you have in the account and what will be taken out before more funds are put into the account. To have a balanced checkbook can be accomplished by getting the monthly statement from your bank or credit union. Sit down and make sure that you have the same amount in your checkbook register as the bank shows in your account.

"How to never bounce a check." »

Posted by K at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do with your personal finances is to figure out how much money you spend each month. Knowing how to manage money can help you make smart choices. A budget can help you get financially organized until you achieve the goals you set for yourself. Budgeting helps you to understand how much money you make, spend, and what you spend it on. Figuring out estimates for variable spending, such as: gas, groceries and entertainment are often things that are overlooked. Knowing these estimates as well as your monthly fixed expenses will give you a better understanding of your financial spending.

Here are ways at figuring out estimates for variable spending:
Create a budget
There are many ways to budget. Some people set up a day-to-day, week-to-week, or even a month-to-month budgeting plan. The more detailed you make it the more likely it will give you a more accurate read out. Monthly budgets are usually used the most and are plenty accurate in figuring out variable spending estimates. Calculate how much money you have to work with so you know how much you should be spending. If you can't come up with a budgeting spreadsheet on your own, there are many different kinds you can print online. These are a great way to get you on your way to being organized.

"Figuring out estimates for variable spending, like gas, grocery and entertainment" »

Posted by K at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a fast pace world of convenience and sales, budgeting is often overlooked. What's spending a dollar here and a there going to really do to your finances? Many people are surprised when they begin to budget and realize how fast those dollars add up. Carefully budgeting will get you on track to spending less and saving more. Budgeting so you have money left over each month could easily lessen your stress and financial headaches.

Why should you have a budget?

Identifying problems
A budget will enable you to identify a financial problem if it exists, find short-term and long-term solutions to it, and enable you to understand and control your finances better. a budget is a self-education tool that shows you how your funds are, how they are working for you, what your plans are for them, and how far along you are toward reaching your goals.

Control
A budget helps you take control of your finances. A budget clearly states what is happening to your money and where it is going each month. Knowing this information will ensure that you have control of your money instead of your money controlling you.

"Budgeting so you have money left over each month" »

Posted by K at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have ever had to write a budget for yourself then you are probably already aware of the fact that many times a lot of budget ideas just don't work. One of the main reasons that budget ideas don't really work is that people are not exactly sure how they are supposed to be applying those ideas, basically they aren't sure how to go about creating budget so nothing is actually going to work. The thing about budgeting ideas is that in order for them to work you are going to have to give them some time and you are going to need to commit to your budget.

"Budget ideas that work" »

Posted by K at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following are the pros and cons of a cash only budget:

Pros:
 Cash makes you more conscious of your spending. Paying with cash whenever possible -- rather than with a card of any type -- forces you to be acutely aware of the amount of money leaving your hands. If you have $200 cash for groceries, and you see your grocery budget get slim, you are going to be less likely to spend $1.49 on a personal size soda when you could spend $99 on a larger one.
 With cash, you avoid credit card fees. A lot of people spend more because they make late payments, or they overdraw, go over their allotted balances, etc. With cash this is really not a concern. You can't go over your allotment because it is cash.
 You don't overspend because once the cash is gone, it is gone. This means you won't indulge as often.

"The pros and cons of a cash-only budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Following a budget is not easy - it takes some work to learn to live on a set budget faithfully and some lifestyle changes to maintain it. It can seem confining and difficult to follow a budget at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes a way of life, just like any other habit. Below are a few ideas to help you focus and follow your budget:

Track Your Spending
To really set a practical budget you need to understand your spending habits. Keep a note of every bit of money you spend for about a week, even if you're just buying a can of soda from a vending machine. This will help you analyze where you spend money so that you can either cut those areas out completely or just cut them down into a specific amount. The only way you can learn to live on a set budget is if it is realistic and tracking your spending helps you create such a budget.

"Learning to live on a set budget faithfully" »

Posted by DF at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For most people there is always some way to save money. Whether it is lowering an interest rate or using coupons, you may be surprised at the tricks that some people use to save themselves the money that the rest of us waste. Many people will agree that it would be great to save money but have this stigma associated with saving money that convinces them that it takes to much time and effort to look through all of your finances to see where cuts can be made. Saving money is simple and can be done on a daily basis. All it takes is being aware of where and how you spend your money and being willing to make a change.

Below are just a few simple tips and tricks for how you can easily make ends meet with room to spare by cutting your spending and saving money:

"Making ends meet with room to spare, tips and tricks" »

Posted by DF at 07:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Living in today's world on a budget can be tough. With access to endless credit cards and easy pay day loans it can be challenging to be frugal and live within your financial means. A well planned budget can help achieve financial goals, both long term and short term.

First, before you start a budget you must know what kind of budget you want. One type of budget could be setting a certain amount of money away every month for things that you want to buy. Another type of budget is one that keeps track of what you have been buying or saving. This type of budget helps you see how you can improve on your spending and saving habits. The type of budget I want to concentrate on today is a weekly budget that will help you know exactly where your money is going and how much you have left and the end of the day.

"Tips for Creating a Percentage based Weekly Budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are several things you can do to change your spending habits, and begin to spend less money on a daily basis. Many of us spend a lot of money during our daily routine but it quite often does not seem like much. For example, many people buy a latte or coffee every morning which can cost anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00. Now that may not seem like a whole lot of money but five dollars a day adds up to twenty five dollars a week, and one hundred dollars a month, and an unbelievable twelve hundred dollars a year. Wow, over one thousand dollars a year for a cup of coffee! Now there is no need to completely stop buying something you enjoy but if you were to only get a latte or coffee a couple days a week, you could save at least forty dollars a month and nearly five hundred dollars a year.

Everyone needs to eat but many people become accustomed to buying a lunch at least five days out of the week and they may not realize how much money they are really spending each day when they could be spending far less by bringing a lunch from home. The cost of buying lunch daily may be anywhere from five dollars up to ten dollars. On average we will say six dollars a day spent buying lunch, thirty dollars a week, one hundred and twenty dollars a month, which is nearly fifteen hundred dollars a year. You could save over eight hundred dollars a year just by bringing a lunch two days a week.

"How to spend less and save more daily" »

Posted by DF at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The best way to handle unexpected expenditures, such as car repairs, accidents, or illness is to have an emergency savings account fund. When you have an emergency fund, you will be prepared to handle and pay for some of life's little mishaps and you will avoid having to borrow the money. The big question now is, where to find the money to put into an emergency savings fund?

You can begin to save money by cutting costs and expenses. Instead of paying for cable TV or satellite dish, learn to live with basic television. If you do not need a cellular phone for business or work, get rid of. Yes, it may be convenient and you may feel you cannot live without one, but it is possible. Another convenience but expense that can be cut is high speed internet service. Dial up service is a fraction of the cost. Renting videos from the video store can be costly, instead try going to the library. The library has a wide selection of movies that can be checked out for free. Also, the library charges far less of a late fee than the video store does if videos are not returned on time. You may not realize the amount of money you could save by making these changes. For example, use the money you would normally pay for cable TV or satellite service for your emergency savings fund. A cable TV or satellite service bill can cost you anywhere from $25.00 to $100.00, sometimes even more. When you rent videos from the video store, it can cost you $10.00 to $20.00, money that could be put in your emergency savings instead.

"How to handle unexpected expenditures (car repairs, accident, illness)" »

Posted by DF at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Budgeting is not easy, but it is important. Without a budget you would find yourself spending far too much money, and not ever having enough for the things that you need. However, not everyone can have a traditional budget where they put this much money to this, or that much money to that. The reason is that not everyone makes the same amount of money every month, week, year, etc. So, to make a budget that actually works for you if you find yourself in a similar situation, consider a percentage based budget. The following is an explanation of how to work off a percentage based budget, and in doing so save at least 10% of your income:

1. Determine an approximate percent of your income that needs to go to bills. For most people this ends up being about 60%. That is for things like house payments, car payments, insurance, utilities, debts, etc. Once you know about what yours is you can go on with the rest of your budget, however, for now, let's assume that it is 55%.

"How to work off a percentage based budget, and save at least 10% of your income" »

Posted by DF at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With personal finances our spending is not dictated the way it would be in a business. In a company, even if you have a company credit card, there are allowable expenses, and then there are things that would not be covered. You know this, and so you would never use your company credit card to buy such things. Well, you should have the same sort of system for your personal finances. There should be some set guidelines to help you determine what you should, and should not be spending your hard earned money on. So, how can you set up guidelines for such allowable expenses? Try the following:

1. Your first guidelines should be if it is a need or a want. This should be set as if it is a need then yes, if it is a want then maybe. For example, we all need to eat, but do we need to eat lobster tail and shrimp? No! So, just like if you were eating on a company credit card, give yourself an allowable need based limit. This does not mean you can't leave some room for enjoyment, but it does mean set some limits so you do not spend five thousand a month to eat.

"How to set up guidelines for allowable expenses with personal finance?" »

Posted by DF at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If computers are not your thing it can be difficult to follow any sort of budget. Most budgets are computer based now and can really make your life easier as they track and categorize your spending. With an electronic accounting program, like Quicken, you can print off exactly where you are at a second's notice, you can download your spending from your bank, etc. However, this is going to do you little good if you are just not computer savvy. So, what can you do, or how can you set up a budget that will work even if it is not on a computer. Try the following:

First, sit down and write out all of your expenses that are fixed. This would be things like your mortgage, your car payment, and other debts. Your phone bill if the same every month would go here, your internet, insurances, etc. Once you have all of your fixed expenses recorded, you will need to record all of your variable expenses. These are things like gas, groceries, entertainment. Now you need to look at your income, and what you should be spending on the variables to keep you living within your income, and to keep you from getting in debt. You should also set up some savings. You will want to put a certain amount of your check into your savings every month. You will probably want to put about 10% of your income into savings.

"How to set up a workable budget if computers aren't your thing" »

Posted by DF at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If computers are not your thing it can be difficult to follow any sort of budget. Most budgets are computer based now and can really make your life easier as they track and categorize your spending. With an electronic accounting program, like Quicken, you can print off exactly where you are at a second's notice, you can download your spending from your bank, etc. However, this is going to do you little good if you are just not computer savvy. So, what can you do, or how can you set up a budget that will work even if it is not on a computer. Try the following:

First, sit down and write out all of your expenses that are fixed. This would be things like your mortgage, your car payment, and other debts. Your phone bill if the same every month would go here, your internet, insurances, etc. Once you have all of your fixed expenses recorded, you will need to record all of your variable expenses. These are things like gas, groceries, entertainment. Now you need to look at your income, and what you should be spending on the variables to keep you living within your income, and to keep you from getting in debt. You should also set up some savings. You will want to put a certain amount of your check into your savings every month. You will probably want to put about 10% of your income into savings.

"How to set up a workable budget if computers aren't your thing" »

Posted by DF at 07:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Budgeting is not easy, but it is important. Without a budget you would find yourself spending far too much money, and not ever having enough for the things that you need. However, not everyone can have a traditional budget where they put this much money to this, or that much money to that. The reason is that not everyone makes the same amount of money every month, week, year, etc. So, to make a budget that actually works for you if you find yourself in a similar situation, consider a percentage based budget. The following is an explanation of how to work off a percentage based budget, and in doing so save at least 10% of your income:

1. Determine an approximate percent of your income that needs to go to bills. For most people this ends up being about 60%. That is for things like house payments, car payments, insurance, utilities, debts, etc. Once you know about what yours is you can go on with the rest of your budget, however, for now, let's assume that it is 55%.

"How to work off a percentage based budget, and save at least 10% of your income" »

Posted by DF at 07:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following are some great tips for cutting back on expenses without cutting back on the enjoyment of life:

Tip one: Just change your timing a bit. People love to go out, see movies, eat nice meals at fancy restaurants, etc. However, this can really get expensive. One way to cut costs here without cutting back on the enjoyment of life is to change your timing. Go to the earlier movie showings. Matinee prices are usually half of the regular price. Go out to lunch instead of dinner. Usually the food is just as good, often you get the same items that are on the dinner menu, and even the same portion sizes, but at a fraction of the price. So, change your time and save some money. The same holds true for day of the week. It is more expensive to go out on weekends then week days, and you are more likely to spend more as well.

"Tips for cutting back on expenses without cutting back on the enjoyment of life" »

Posted by DF at 07:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following is your one week to a better budget, how to curb your spending:
Pack lunches
Pay at the pump
Plan a menu
Pay your bills online
Make plans at home with friends
Pre-make meals
Plan outfits

All of the above things will mean you spend less because you have less opportunity and less need. For example, if you plan your outfits ahead of time you will have something to wear and not feel the need to go shopping. If you pay at the pump you will not spend extra in the gas station on candy, soda or gum. The following is a sample week.

"One week to a better budget, how to curb your spending" »

Posted by DF at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are so many different things that people have to worry about these days. One thing that is a big worry in a lot of peoples lives are their personal finance budgeting. If you are worried about your personal finances and want to know how you can make your personal finance budget better. Here are some tips on what you should know about personal finance budgeting.

The first tip on what you should know about personal finance budgeting is how to set up a budget. The first thing you need to do is get a list of all of the income that you bring in each month. You will want to make sure that you figure out how much money you have after taxes. If you figure how much money you have before taxes you will not be accurate on what you bring home.

"What you should know about personal finance budgeting" »

Posted by DF at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following are some tips for how to stay dedicated to a strict budget:

Tip one: Stick to the 3 R's of budget setting. If you don't do this, you will never be able to stay dedicated to a strict budget. These 3 R's are Realistic, Rewards, and Revise.

"How to stay dedicated to a strict budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It seems like every time we go looking for financial advice one of the most common suggestions we get is to make a budget. We are supposed to budget how much we spend on the necessities of life and to set aside a designated amount for those things that maybe would not be considered a necessity. Too many of us write our checks and swipe our credit cards without knowing if we have earned enough money to cover the money spent in those transactions.

A budget is supposed to serve as a template or a map to our spending. It is difficult to see where we need to save money if we do not even know where we are spending our money. Most people are unable to get a good picture of where they are pending wastefully or inefficiently unless they keep track of every dollar you spend, whether by cash, check, or credit card. You may be surprised how much money you spend and where that money actually goes each month.

"Why you should have a budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Capital planning is a way of defining how you're going to spend money to get the most impact for your company and its mission. Capital budgeting is knowing what you're going to spend your money on in the next year (or two or three). Therefore, capital planning and capital budgeting go hand in hand. Abiding by these principles when developing a capital plan can help ensure that your capital budget is more thorough, accurate and meaningful:

1. Define the needs of your company, preferable over a period of three to five years. Identifying company needs is best done via a comprehensive evaluation of all facilities and their systems. Some company's choose to hire this task to an independent firm, while others choose to take on the assessment themselves. An assessment of current conditions should be very property-specific of what inventory exists. Condition assessments can create the foundation for an effective preventive maintenance program. This will help make decisions regarding short and long term needs, and differentiate between actions that should be handled by the operating budget vs. those that require new capital. As data is gathered during a condition assessment, it is sometimes collected without a clear understanding of its objectives. Keep your goals and intentions in mind, if you know how you are going to use the information, it may influence how you collect it. Databases can be useful in this process. They can look at the effects of the decisions you make. Based on the decisions you make today, they can create scenarios and play out those scenarios to see, what the future is going to look like.

"Tips for understanding capital budgets" »

Posted by DF at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Common definitions for the word "standardize" indicate that when you standardize something you are agreeing to impose a certain set of guidelines or uniform criteria that you will follow. Standards are meant to improve efficiency. Businesses impose financial standards in order to have uniform business information, product and service exchanges. With all the fancy definitions that exist in conjunction to standardizing your budget, it can be a daunting and intimidating thing to do.

Standardizing your budget may be difficult to implement initially. When you form a budget you are not only budgeting for fixed costs or costs that you know will remain constant from month to month. But you also must find a way to budget for the variable costs in life. Variable costs are costs that you do not expect. Thing like repairing your car, having a visit to the emergency room and or having an appliance break are all variable costs that you have no way of knowing about ahead of time and therefore cannot budget for them specifically.

"Tips for standardizing your budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When you start a business and a financial plan you will never be able to account for everything that may happen. Unexpected costs are a natural part of life and business. The point is that when something unexpected does occur, that we learn from that and try to better prepare ourselves for future variances until eventually we can handle life's little surprises. Some people are never able to get to the point where they are prepared for anything financially, but we can certainly make progress towards that goal.

There are many reasons why your personal or business financial plans will have variances. Because variances are a part of life and a natural companion to progress, it is in our best interest to investigate why variances occur and how we can better prepare and adapt our financial plans because of them. Below are just a few examples of common reasons for financial plan variances and the tips you can use to investigate them.

"Tips for investigating unexpected financial plan variances" »

Posted by DF at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

First off, congratulations for having a budget to begin with. Too many businesses rely on credit cards to pull them out of a jam, and aren't properly aware of how much they're spending, what they're spending it on, and when they spent it. This implies that the first step to sticking with a budget is to actually make one. This entails work, patience, and discipline, and a good accountant or accounting department helps.

The next crucial step in sticking with your budget is keeping track of your spending on a daily basis. This might at first seem like an overwhelming job, but like any habit it gets easier with time. Keeping track of a budget never gets easy, but again like any habit the challenge it presents becomes rewarding and even deeply satisfying after a while.

"Sticking with your budget, what to do when your business exceeds it" »

Posted by DF at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's look on some ideas of how to make a variable income work. All of us are in the same fix, that is, we have too many bills and too little money with which to pay them. It's hard enough with a steady job with steady hours, regular insurance plans, and so forth, but if we're relying on a variable income-an income that varies, isn't consistent, either because there isn't enough work for us at one job or we're forced to work two or three jobs to make ends meet, etc.-we're dealing with some extra challenges, that, luckily for us, can be overcome.
First, let's look at some of the disadvantages of a variable income.
1. Well, it's variable, it varies. A variable income doesn't give us the kind of job security we'd ideally want, especially if we're caring for a family.

"Making a variable income work for you" »

Posted by DF at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Everybody's a little imperfect when it comes to staying in budget, so let's look at a few ideas for becoming a little less imperfect.
 Wanting to stick to our cash budget implies knowing what our cash budget is. As obvious as this might sound, every day millions of very smart people fail to consider it and eventually find themselves in a cash quandary. Perhaps it's the very obviousness of the rule that makes us overlook it.
 That said, let's talk about what a cash budget is. A cash budget is, simply put, your organized system of (a) paying for essentials such as groceries, gas and heating, school supplies, medication, clothing, etc., (b) paying for essential non-essentials such as going to the movies, eating out, shopping for the fun of it, etc., and (c) creating a savings account for emergencies and retirement, without getting into debt. In other words, a cash budge allows you to do (a) through (c) without having to borrow money, you're relying strictly on your income.

"Tips for sticking to your cash budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Living within your means" differs in meaning from person to person. People defining "living within your means" in a number of different ways, depending on their own philosophies when it comes to money and their own financial situation.

Think about your own definition of living within your means. With which of the following definitions you personally feel the most comfortable?

"What is means to live within your means." »

Posted by DF at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Top 4 tips on how to make money less important to you.

Do you find yourself constantly obsessing over money? Do you end up being really stressed by constant thoughts of debt and budgeting? Do you worry about whether or not you have enough money? Do you worry about whether or not you have enough stuff?

"How to make money less important to you" »

Posted by DF at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you wondering how you can keep up with Joneses without spending as much as they are, or while even saving money? Well, the good news is that it's not impossible to keep up a high standard of living without losing tons of money in the process!

Here are some tips that you can follow in order to save money-live like you're rich, but don't spend like you're rich. You can keep up with the Joneses, and you can pad your savings account at the same time.

"How to keep up with the Joneses without spending as much money." »

Posted by DF at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When it comes to good money management most people will tell you that you need to have some kind of budget or money management system in place. But creating the budget is only part of the battle. Sometimes the most difficult part of having a budget is sticking to it. Below are a few helpful suggestions for how you can better stick to your budget and manage your finances.

 Write it down - You cannot expect to follow a budget if you have not written out what it is. You need to take the time to carefully examine your financial obligations and compare them to your income. Separate the "needs" from the "wants" and make sure that you have enough money coming in to cover all of your necessities before you allocate funds for the things that you can do without

"Tips for better sticking to your budget" »

Posted by DF at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have children or if you remember what it was like to be a child, you know how important it was to feel like you fit in. You wanted to be liked and accepted. As children we wanted to dress like the other kids, buy the same brands as the other kids and be interested in the things that were popular at the time. If you have children of your own who are facing these pressures you may have counseled them to not compare themselves to others or to be special in their own way and to not want to be like some one else.

Such childish notions have not died with our youth. As adults many of us are still comparing ourselves to others. If we were to take our own advice and focus on our own needs and situation there would be no need to "keep up with the Jones's" as the popular phrase illustrates. Yet, we do somehow forget all logical advice and sacrifice our own financial well being in order to keep up an image. We forget or simply choose not to acknowledge that keeping up with the Jones's means budget failure.

"Keeping up with the Jones's, why it means budget failure" »

Posted by DF at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Quicken is one of the most popular financial software programs on the market. Quicken provides the tools that the everyday person can use to get their finances in order. If you find yourself in need of a program that can help you re-gain control of your finances, Quicken comes highly recommended.

Of course no one software program can tailor a single budgeting system that is right for everyone. You will have to make the hard decisions about how much money you want to budget or allocate to certain categories. In the housing industry it is recommended that 30% of a budget be for your residence. However, not all of us are in the financial position to afford allocating only 30% housing. For some, 80 or 90% is spent on housing. Other individuals set aside 5-10% for clothing in their budget. Others see no need to be buying clothing every month and may leave this category out of their budget entirely. So you see there is no ideal plan for everyone, in fact there may be no `ideal' plan for you. You will need to take a close look at your finances and decide on a budget that will get you back on the right financial track.

"How to set up a budget on Quicken" »

Posted by DF at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)