Creating And Staying On A Budget

 



Let's take a moment to talk about Developing a Budget.

The major key toward taking control of your financial situation is to do a realistic assessment of how much money you take in and how much money you spend.

Start by listing your income from all sources.

Then, list your "fixed" expenses — those that are the same each month — like mortgage payments or rent, car payments, and insurance premiums. Next, list the expenses that vary — like groceries, entertainment, and clothing.

Writing down all your expenses, even those that seem insignificant is a helpful way to track your spending patterns, identify necessary expenses, and prioritize the rest.

The goal is to make sure you can make ends meet on the basics: housing, food, health care, insurance, and education.

Computer software programs can be useful tools for developing and maintaining a budget, balancing your checkbook, and creating plans to save money and pay down your debt.

The easiest way to set up a budget is by using a spreadsheet. We included a link to a spreadsheet developed by Mint.com. They are an online leader in consumer budgeting and saving resources.

Click here to download the XLS file free budget template.xls.

*As always, I am not a licensed credit repair company. The information included in this email is meant to be educational in nature. Most information was acquired from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov. However, if you'd like me to recommend a credit repair service just let me know. We have a couple repair companies that are very good and charge a nominal monthly fee.