It is a fact
that financial difficulties and incompatibility in money matters are one of the
leading causes for divorce, and the breakup of many families. Even for those of us who are single, it's an acute cause of stress.
At this
particular time of the year, many of us are smarting because it's time to pay
the piper for our holiday spending. In addition, we are receiving the
inevitable notices of increases in fees for everything from electricity to insurances
and homeowners taxes. It's a
great time to grab the bull by the horns and get serious about your budget.
There is help
available for this on the internet, and the office supply stores sell many
different versions of budgeting books you can buy. If you want to be thrifty like my mom, design your own sheets
and make a year’s worth of copies to keep in a folder.
Total the
amounts you paid out for last year’s bills in every category (including annual
or bi-annual bills, such as the various insurances, taxes, co-payments to
doctors and dentists, estimated car repairs, etc.), divide them by twelve, and
the resulting sum will be the amount you have to save each month in order to
have the funds available when those items come due.
It is a good
idea to deposit that money in a savings account. As you save each month the sum
will grow and leaving it in the checking account may tempt you to believe that
you have more spendable income then you really do.
I think it may
be a good idea to repeat my advice from a previous post on traversing the
slippery slope of frequent credit card use, for those who may have missed that
column.
Many people use
their credit cards for almost all financial transaction because they don't like
to carry a checkbook (my husband) or they like receiving those bonus points
periodically, for a free shopping trip (like me).
Whatever the
reason, you may also be among those who hold their breath, or even wait a few
days, before opening the bill with the final tally.
If you have ever
heard yourself exclaim any of the following...
Holy s--t! There must be some mistake here.
How did this get away from me again?
How can I keep this from Bill (or Elaine)?
...then you know
that overcharging is easy and causes some serious stress. And if you have had
enough of it, here is an excellent motivational tool to finally put an end to
it:
On a simple
notepad, write down the amount of every charge on the same day that you make
it. Keep a running subtotal for the entire month. (Make sure you subtotal each
new charge, that is the main point here!) Now, whenever you go out the door to
go shopping you will know exactly how much you have left to spend on
necessities (groceries and gas), and after the final total you will know what's
left for the little splurges we all like to treat ourselves to.
Do not trust
yourself to keep your totals in your head without writing it down! Memory is a
tricky thing, and easily influenced by a strong desire for some tempting
purchase. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking you have got more money to
spend than you do
So, to stop the
stress, write it down, check it and keep it honest!
No comments:
Post a Comment