Five Tips To help You Balance Your Budget ” I may need 500″ (lol)

Setting a household budget isn’t just for those living on a shoestring budget—everyone has hopes and dreams. It’s just one of those things that is often forgotten in the busy day-to-day routine.

Everyone, whatever their lifestyle, can benefit from setting a budget, and sticking to it. From releasing money to spend on luxuries, to making sure that credit card bills get paid on time, and reducing debt, there are many reasons to get control of your finances.

Tip 1 – Know Your Costs

This goes for business as well as home budgets. It’s easy to get started; just jot down the outgoings, keeping a monthly tally so that it becomes a habit. 

Tip 2 – Write It Down

Making the process feel more official, no matter how corny that might sound, actually works! So, putting your accounts in a special book destined for that sole purpose is a great way to build up the proper routine.  As a bonus, you will have to really look at what you spend.

Tip 3 – Have a Concrete Goal

Budgeting gets tough; and having a definite target helps to concentrate the mind. Imagining that the money is there, and the feeling when the goal is achieved, should help get you through the hard times.

Tip 4 – Change Up Your Lifestyle

People balk at this step, and that’s only natural. However, little changes add up to big results. Altering just one thing per month, and noting the savings gained (in your ledger) is often enough to keep you on track for bigger end of year savings.   

Tip 5 – Only Track Real Income

There’s another column in a Ledger – income. The balance of income versus outgoings at the end of the month is the household (or business) profit. Some people, however, track a fictional income including things like anticipated tax refunds. This is to be avoided – only put the real income that has actually materialized in the Ledger.

Using these five tips to get started, budgeting can become less of a chore, more of a routine, and have visible benefits to drive you forward to your goal!

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Sent in by Rhonnie Scheuerman