Budget Planning
May 21st, 2010 | 
Author: Budget Planning
In this era of inflation and recession budget planning is of critical importance for survival. But for budget planning a core and comprehensive plan should be there as a guide to ourselves. Here are some tips to create our own budget plan and stick to it, because even if there is a budget the tough part is to follow it strictly.
Listing: Creating a list of all the income sources is the first step; this includes money from professional jobs, side jobs, interest earnings etc. Against this column make a list of all the expenses you are expecting this should include each and every detail like groceries, mortgage payments, car payments, entertainment, insurance, clothes and tuition etc. Even include your coffee expenses in the list. After including the items put some estimate figures against them.
Necessities Only: Now go through your list and decide which of the items are necessities and which ones are desire. E.g. mortgage payment is essential to keep your house whereas you can live without a daily %3 coffee on your way to office, instead of buying the coffee daily bring coffee ingredients and make coffee at home at a lower price.
Budgeting Software: Modern budgeting softwares present a good forecasting using the functions like what percentage of your income is saved, spent and invested. Also if you want to allocate a fixed percentage of your income to some category like you wish to spend 20%PRCTG% of your income in investments you can manage it in a very efficient way using these budgeting softwares.
Debt Consolidation: The worst thing to disturb ones budget is outstanding credit debts, and to recover from a debt second time is very difficult, so planning for the debt payment is the fundamental step towards financial security. Debt consolidation makes the consumer move their outstanding credit card debts, and other payables under one large debt at relatively lower interest rate. Such debt offers single monthly payment and this way consumer has to deal with a single company only. Be careful in your budget plans that once you get out of debt try to stay out of it.
Once you have finalized your budget planning just stick to it, because it is the only way you can assure your financial security.
Posted in Budgeting
I think you mean “$3 Coffee” instead of “%3 Coffee” but that’s totally besides the point.
Great post here about the basics of setting up a budget, which is more important than ever (well, except maybe the Great Depression). Posts like this are going to help a lot of people
It’s very easy to fall into debt a second time if you don’t change habits. I consider myself a minimalist and save toward my goals obsessively, but I still like to enjoy dinner out once in a while. I can’t imagine life without a budget to keep things in line.
Wonderfully written and executed post. Thank you for the reminder, and now I realize all along about budget planning. I think A budget is a plan for how I am going to spend my money.
I am also a minimalist. Really nice tips here… thanks.
In our era, it’s very easy to fall into a big debt dump which is why it is important to plan our budgets accordingly and plan our lifestyle according to our budget, not vice versa.
It’s hard to plan to a budget in today’s economy.
Keeping to a strict budget is the only thing that saved me from abject poverty in college! Great advice.
It’s very easy to fall into debt a second time if you don’t change habits. I consider myself a minimalist and save toward my goals obsessively, but I still like to enjoy dinner out once in a while. I can’t imagine life without a budget to keep things in line.