Budgeting: If You Don't
Plan to Spend Your Money
Someone Else Will.
Budgeting: Your First Step Toward
Financial Freedom.
BUDGETING: WHERE DID MY MONEY GO?
Have you ever noticed how you never seem to have enough money after payday? It seems like the money comes in and it goes right out and then you wonder where did it all go? Well, lets discuss how to get a handle on where your paycheck is going each month.
You've Got to Plan.
The best way to do this is to plan what you are going to do
with your paycheck before you get it. This way you can plan in advance how to spend it and know how much you will have left over or if you will need to do something different to make sure you have money left over by the end of each month.
This is probably the single most important step on your
road map to financial freedom. By now, you may be wondering
how to make a budget.
Using a Computer Spreadsheet to help you Plan.
Don't worry, it's not as difficult or time consuming as it seems. Well, it may take a little time at first. But, we've found that using a good budget planning spreadsheet makes it painless and much easier. But you have to
find one that works for you .
A tool that we use is called a "Budget Planner" Spreadsheet. We like it because it's easy to use and shows our information not only in the form of numbers but also in big colorful graphs. But there are several good ones out there. The key is to choose one that you find easy to use and understand.
BUT SOMEONE ELSE HAS PLANS FOR MY MONEY.
By budgeting how to spend your paycheck, there are no surprises at the end of each month. You'll know where your money went. But here's the tough part: you have to actually spend your money the way you planned to spend it!
I know it may sound easy enough, but remember how you get those calls from your brother Charles asking to borrow $500 to cover his rent until he gets paid next Friday?
You may even be tempted yourself to get that new cell phone that just came out or get that new outfit you saw on sale yesterday...
In other words, if you don't plan to spend your money someone else will. Shopping malls, Department stores, friends, creditors, businesses, and family all have plans for your money.
So the question is how do you stay on track and spend your money like you planned to spend it in order to be debt free? How do you stick to the plan when there is pressure by everyone, including yourself, to spend it on other stuff?
HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
Can you picture your life debtfree? Can you really imagine what it would be like to be able to have money coming in monthly from your
investments instead of your job and not have to go to
work at a job unless you just want to because you enjoy it so much?
Imagine not having to pay a mortgage or a car note each month. Imagine not having any
credit card debt or student loans.
What if you could take a vacation for a month anywhere you desired to go? Perhaps on the beautiful island of Antigua in the Caribbean! Or have a leisurely lunch on the bay in Mykonos, Greece.
The way to stick to the plan to be debt free is to focus on your life's goals.
Think about what is really important to you. How you can spend your time once you have financial freedom.
And finally think about what it will be like if you keep doing what you've been doing.
Remember, if you keep doing what you're doing you will keep getting what you're getting. You may be deep in debt now and working a job you hate; but you can turn it around and be debt free if you choose to make a change and stick to the plan.
Choose to be debtfree. How badly do you want it?
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