With all this talk of a depression it is high time people take back control of their lives, creating and keeping a budget will help in this endeavor. Though not rocket science, the simplest things are sometimes the hardest to remember. Included below are a few tips on saving money as well as a simple budget plan.
How to Prioritize Finances While Creating a Budget
Supplies
- Notebook
- Pen
- Folders
- Phone
- Utilities
- Medical
- Insurance
- Entertainment
- Miscellaneous
Once everything is down on paper and in front of a person’s eyes it makes the job of weeding out needless expenses that much easier. Instead of renting two or three movies from a store, for the same price (or less) a person could subscribe to Netflix for around $9.00 a month. For movie buffs, this could save some real money each month, money that could go into savings or towards paying off a looming credit card bill.
Write down everything that is not a necessity on a separate piece of paper. After compiling and tallying every have to pay and keep bills, go back through the non-necessities. Once one knows how much they have to pay out it is easier to see how much extra money there really is each month. Pick a few things that the entire family likes to do and stick to them. A variation of this method is to keep that money freed up each month and use it on one fun thing everyone has agreed on for that month. It gives people something to look forward to, be it a trip to the zoo or even a small family shopping spree.
Bargaining, Bartering and Talking Yours Bills Down for Easier Budgeting
Yes, it seems hard to believe but dentists, doctors and various other services can at times be gotten for nearly free. Some professionals will trade out their services in exchange for artwork, landscape work, or a myriad of other services. It never hurts to ask and sometimes this can save many thousands of dollars.
If a service provider has made a mistake on ones bill, they normally want to make up for it. Simply call customer service and explain the problem while allowing them to know how they can make it right. If they want to keep their customers badly enough they may offer credits, discounts or free services in the future.
Be firm, kind, and professional, while remembering, a billing error is not customer services fault. If a customer is kind and respectful and the customer service representative is rude and hard to deal with; simply hang up and call again making sure to politely explain the situation thoroughly. An even larger discount can be had for such a terrible example of the companies’ customer service. Remember to get the person’s name so they know whom to reprimand for bad behavior.
How to Stick to a Budget
Maybe not as hard as people think; it is easy to choose between that $30.00 purse and paying the water bill. At least it should be. One would think a person’s co-workers would rather not smell terrible body odor in trade for that leather clutch, save some embarrassment and opt for the water bill.
If friends and family have a hard time dealing with the lack of playable income, be firm and remind them about the budget. If they are persistent and cause much grief, it may be time to step away from them a bit. Some people are toxic and it is best to cut them out of one’s life. If older children are the problem, have them get a small job to earn their own play money. Creating a simple budget for them will more easily help them understand the hardships that have recently fallen upon the family.
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