Living on A Budget - The Modern Life Needs Financial Stability

Whether you're a single man or woman, or you are a parent or even married, it's vastly important to continue living on a budget for the rest of your life. Yes, there are going to be those that are sighing and wishing they didn't read that, but it's imperative for these modern times. Things might have changed in the past few decades, but one thing is for sure, millions are struggling with debt, financial problems, loans, and so much more. People want a lifestyle that they can't afford, and will do nearly anything to get it, and when the chips are down, they end up having to pay back a lot of creditors. If you're looking to stay away from that, then consider doing something that most people frown upon, and that's spending less money.

Temptation is all around, there are literally millions of different things to spend money on, and look at. If you're having a hard time saving your pennies but still want to spend, change your thinking. Instead of paying for things on credit, consider saving up little by little until you have the right amount of cash to purchase it. You will feel far better about the purchase decision, and in some cases that can thwart the ambition to own something you don't need. How many times have you purchased something that you were going to use daily, and it ended up sitting around collecting dust? If you are normal, then there are several pieces in your home that were used once and now just sitting around the area. If that sounds about right, then it's time to use cash instead of credit.

Living on the edge is hard, and not putting money in order can lead to financial problems. You absolutely need to be living on a budget, or else you're not going to enjoy the hard times. Everyone has to face hard times in life, especially in these uncertain modern times where the economic shifts are leaving millions unemployed with no recourse. If you're struggling today, what's to say that you won't struggle tomorrow? Living on a budget helps you focus on the tasks at hand and end up coming out on top in the long term.

If your goal is to save money, follow through with plans to travel or pay bills, you can do all those things, it's just a matter of setting aside money for the purpose of accomplishing those dreams and goals.

Sandy Phillis is the author of Budget ideas http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ Here I have discussed various budget plans for many life occasions, ratings on budget plans and a free video to watch. Take a look at my site http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ to start your budget plan now

http://EzineArticles.com/6493794

How To Start A Budget - 3 First Steps

People in modern times need to learn how to manage money and understand how financial matters effect their every day lives. Millions are in debt, and it's not just the individual that is plagued by this, the world is in debt, and many will never dig themselves out of it. For those that are continually looking down the barrel of creditors, it's time to rise up and change things. In order to change it's crucial to learn how to start a budget. It is not hard, it is not going to cause stress, but it is vastly important for the generation of wealth for the future. Consider the 3 first steps below and then progress as time goes by.

1. Write Bills - On a sheet of paper or an online document write down all the bills that you have. No matter how many things you have to pay, write them down with the dollar amount. Do not include expenses that occur, just bills. Rent, cable, car loan, and other items should go here with the full amount that is spent on each per month. The next thing to write down is the amount of money you make each month. You can break this down into four sections or two sections depending on how you are paid. Whatever the case is, write down the dollar amounts based on your best estimates.

2. Add It Up - Add the column of bills together. Get a full dollar amount at the bottom of the entire list and see how much it is. If the bills are more than you're making a month, you're in trouble. If they are less, then you are in luck, there is room to breathe.

3. Starting the Budget - Take all the bills and place them in a solitary column, these will be the beginning of your budget. Subtract the bottom total from the amount of money you make a month. Whatever is left over, you need to separate into different columns of needs. The essentials are food, water, clothing, and entertainment. If you have these things taken care of with a dollar amount, then move forward to see what's left. Whatever is left, save it, and don't spend it.

The above three steps makes learning how to start a budget all too easy. If you're looking to figure out how to begin, then you're in luck; you can't lose with the aforementioned ideas. Even those that are not familiar with the idea of budgeting will learn how to start a budget easily.

Sandy Phillis is the author of Budget ideas http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ Here I have discussed various budget plans for many life occasions, ratings on budget plans and a free video to watch. Take a look at my site http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ to start your budget plan now

http://EzineArticles.com/6493797

Living on A Budget - The Easy Way To Save Money And Be Happy

People of all ages should learn how to manage their money. From a young age, people should be taught how to move forward with financial matters. Without this training, money can turn into sand in the hands of a person and they will lose out big. If you or someone you know is looking at living on a budget, make sure to look at the upsides to it all. You don't need to live like everyone else, and if you can manage to steer clear of being in debt, you'll enjoy your life with a great amount of vigor. Consider the following great things about money management.

People assume that living on a budget means that you can't have fun. That's not true. Within a written budget there is wiggle room to put money away for entertainment and dining. It's very important to include these things, even if it's a marginal amount of money. Without these pieces into place, it can be a hard life to live, full of the doldrums of having to not spend money. Don't go overboard, explore options that are not expensive, or are free, and indulge.

For those that are thinking that living on a budget can only be stressful. It's vastly important to consider a few entertainment and reading options. Consider this wild idea, visit your local library and look at the media available. Every major metropolitan city has at least one main library, and inside the four walls they have books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, music, and movies all for free. In fact, tax payer money goes to fund these projects, so if you're a tax payer, get yourself a card and rent as many books, movies, and musical discs as you possibly can. Exhaust their resources and you will see that you won't miss spending money on a variety of different things.

Living on a budget is not difficult, at least not in the long term. You can spend some money; just make sure that you are always putting a few dollars away for a rainy day. You might not realize that there are others like you that are starting to save too. Never feel like you're alone in this process, because it's not a new thing that no one is doing. With the economical downturn of recent years, more and more people are doing the same thing, and having the same struggles as you. It takes the first step to move forward, take that and watch the finances grow.

Sandy Phillis is the author of Budget ideas http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ Here I have discussed various budget plans for many life occasions, ratings on budget plans and a free video to watch. Take a look at my site http://www.howtostartabudget.com/ to start your budget plan now

http://EzineArticles.com/6493787

3 Reasons You Should Sit Down to Budget With Your Spouse

They say that money problems are the leading cause of divorce these days. While many couples argue about money, money itself may not be the issue. Everything in your life affects your finances. Some personal finance coaches encourage couples to sit down once a week (later on, maybe more or little less often depending on your own situation) with their spouse and discuss the budget.

What benefits does this offer?

1. Both spouses (and the kids if they are invited) know exactly what the financial situation is for the family and can make decisions accordingly. It is getting close to the end of the month and the dining out budget has already been met, so the family opts to stay in and eat at home this Friday night. Or the kids can see that if they save up for that video game themselves instead of begging Mom and Dad for it, the family will be able to stay on track planning a fun vacation.

2. Arguments can be avoided! If John knows that there is not enough money in the budget to cover a week-long camping trip, maybe he can work out a weekend instead. At the same time, Jane knows that John has been working hard and deserves a vacation, so she can help spot areas where they can cut back and open up a little room in the budget to make that trip happen. Sitting down together to work on the budget reminds you that you are a team. You care about each other's needs and desires, and you work together to figure out how to make them happen. Besides avoiding arguments, you are actually building a stronger, more loving relationship.

3. You will reach financial goals sooner. If you hadn't really considered financial goals before, this weekly meeting is a good place to talk about them. Want to save up for retirement or the kids' college? Want to plan a family vacation? Each week, you can discuss your goals and see the progress you are making towards them. If a large bill comes up (suppose Mikey needs braces), then you can work together to adjust the budget. This is much better than one spouse simply cutting up the other's credit card to cover the new expense, leaving that other spouse feeling undervalued and not respected. I've heard of this happening, and trust me, it's better to talk about it and work together as the team you are!

iMoneyCoach is a financial life coaching company that exists with the goal of helping people reach financial freedom and a life the LOVE! At iMoneyCoach we not only teach the fundamentals of successful money management, but we also look at how life affects and is affected by finances. This is what sets us apart from other financial programs.

All successful athletes have coaches. A personal finance coach can take a look at your situation and see things from a different perspective or things you had not noticed before. We help you get out of debt, teach budgeting that fits your life, and show you how to set meaningful goals. At iMoneyCoach we want you to not only get out of debt but go on to enjoy financial success.

http://EzineArticles.com/6491478