7 tips for creating a successful budget

As prices rise, it's even more important that you have a financial plan. Whether you call it a budget, a spending plan, or something else, planning is the key to financial success. I'm going to use the term "spending plan" because a lot of people have a negative reaction to the word "budget," but they mean the same thing. They are simply a plan for where your money is going. Most of us have tried to build a budget before, but sometimes things don't go well. Here are some common budgeting mistakes and solutions to avoid them. Know your motivation

Motivation is the key to doing anything. Find your financial motivation by finding out where you are now. Sit down and list your assets (what you own) and your liabilities (what you owe). Then list your monthly income and salary. It is often uncomfortable. Just sit on it for a while.

Consider where you want your financial life to be in five, fifteen, or twenty-five years. Maybe you want to buy a house or help your children pay for their education. For me, the main motivation for managing our money is that I don't have to count pennies and commissions. How does your current situation help you achieve your desired future?

Knowing why you care about your money is the first step to doing anything else. Your budget will fail if you don't have the motivation to stick to it.

Add a little humor

Everyone should have enough money to spend freely. Give yourself (and your partner, if you work as a team) a nonjudgmental salary. It can be $20 per payment, or $200 per payment, whatever you decide (and can afford). It's money you can waste, but when it's gone, it's gone. Determine which expenses should appear in the sports budget. In my house, it's fast food and any kind of "going out with friends."

Plan for everything

Another way that budgeting can go wrong is by not explaining everything. I've seen many budget plans that don't include clothing, health care expenses, car registration, or any fun. That's not how life works. Those plans will fail. You need to plan for the expenses that will occur. Not all expenses will happen every month, and that's okay. This money can accumulate in your savings until you need it. Imagine you spend $50 a month on health care expenses. You can go to the doctor for three months, and if you have put the money aside, you will be ready to pay installments and prescription fees. Plan Big, Spend Small

A spending plan needs to be realistic to work. Many people balance their income and expenses by planning at the lowest possible cost. For example, let us say that you often use $ 600 each month, so you plan on using $ 600 because you will work hard. What will happen if you have one month of $ 800? A rule of thumb for budgeting is to plan at the high end of the range. If you're on a budget, woot! This can go to your savings or savings account. Otherwise, you just plan to spend $50 on car maintenance. Then you need two new tires, and now all your plans are shot. This brings us to... Have an emergency fund

You need emergency funds. Emergency funds can fill in gaps in your spending plan, and they can help in real emergencies. Start with every dollar again with emergency money for one month or two. Make a little goal to start, perhaps $ 1,000. Then add more every month. Reduce shopping. The dog is sitting. No food for a month. Donate plasma. selling something. No matter. One day, in the future, you expect at least 3 to 6 months for 16 months, or perhaps more.