What Are The 7 Important Steps In Budgeting?

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Don`t know how to avoid financial difficulties? Maybe, you have already encountered them? No idea how to properly manage your budget or you have tried many times, but all attempts are pointless? Budgeting – is the best decision for you and your situation!

Budgeting is the process of calculating how much money you must earn or save during a particular period of time, and of planning how you will spend it.

Why Budgeting Is So Essential?

To have enough money for what you need and for what is important to you (as it allows you to create the plan of distribution of money).
To be able to manage monthly costs.
To live debt-free (you will be able to plan unexpected events in life or purchase large purchases without becoming indebted).
To know better where your money’s going, and you will have more control over your finances.

Budgeting is one of the most important financial habits that everyone can develop himself.

Nowadays, most people choose internet alternatives instead of going to the bank. There are many different budgeting options you can choose from, based on your goals and living expenses.

You can even borrow money sitting on the sofa through PayDay Say website and get without credit check loans. As you can see, loans online become popular, financial advisors are available for everybody and this article is also free for you. So, why not start budgeting right now?

How To Start Budgeting

Here are 7 important steps:

1. Calculate Your Net Income

If you want to start budgeting the first necessary step is finding out how much money you make. Calculate only your net income, which is your final, after-tax take-home pay or another expense that you should pay (credits, debts, etc).

Due to the analyst report of State of Consumer Banking & Payments, there are more that a quoter of Americans got controlled by their finance situation.

To avoid that, you have to include your full-time or part-time job, freelance work, and all other income sources, like income from rental properties, dividends, or any other sources that can bring you some money. It can be helpful to divide your net income into monthly amounts to prepare a more accurate budget. Also, it will help you to understand your full monthly income and expense.

2. Make A List Of Your Spending

A second equally important step is to list your spending.

For most people, this step will be difficult, because of their lack of confidence, so they are clear about where their money comes from but have no idea where they spend it in this quantity every month.

Everything you spend your money on is spending, all of what you may commonly think of as “expenses”, however, they are all expenses as well.

Begin by listing all of your fixed expenses, those that stay the same each month, such as:

mortgage,
public utilities,
rent,
car payments,
student loan payments.

After you have listed these expenses, you have to list your flexible expenses, such as:

dining,
medical visit,
entertainment,
contribution to something,
travel,
groceries,
cosmetic procedures,
purchases.

Finally, add in other important costs, which may be billed annually, semi-annually or quarterly. For instance, this category includes expenses such as taxes and insurance.

The key to good money management is separating needs from wants.

3. Set Realistic Goals

Ask yourself: What is my purpose?

Just think about it and write down what is important to you and what you want to achieve using budgeting. Here are some examples of how this list might look:

If you want to…	Your goal is probably
be debt-free	pay off current debts
travel a lot	build up savings to take time off work
help your children	contribute to an RESP
start a business	save enough to apply for a business loan

Setting your goals is your success in planning and keeping a budget. You should make a list of short-term, intermediate, and long-term financial goals you want to accomplish.

Short-term goals, like saving up for a vacation, should take you a year or less.
Medium-term goals such as taking a tour or cruise through the Atlantic ocean may take you more than 1 year at least.
Long-term goals are goals that will take years to accomplish. For example, saving in case of buying a new house.

If you start identifying your goals it will be easier for you to follow your budget.

The goals that you want to achieve are only yours and only you can allocate what is important and what can be put in the background. Take a pen with paper and start creating your own goals from small to big, from short to long.

4. Balance And Stability Equals Budgeting Strategy

Budget balance requires your total spending can not be more than your total income.

1. Envelope System

It allows you to portion out your monthly income toward different spending categories. The concept is simple:

Take a few envelopes,
Write what you plan to buy on them: groceries, some purchases etc.
Put your money on each expense in the envelope.

2. Zero-Based Budgeting

Zero-based budgeting is very tight, in order to help you avoid any expenses that are not considered essential. This kind of budgeting can be an effective way to “shake things up”.This is a popular option that justifies each dollar you spend.

3. 50/30/20 Budget

In this system, no more than 50% of your income goes to needs, no more than 30% goes to what you want and no less than 20% goes to savings. A 50/30/20 budget can help you to reduce those expenses that will help direct funds to more important areas such as emergency money. This budget is popular for many people, as it’s easy to set and follow.

5. Habits VS Budgeting Goals

After you assess your income and spending, it`s necessary to consider the issues of adjusting your habits. In many instances, there are ways to reduce or eliminate spending and put money toward other goals.

For example, if you buy a pack of cigarettes the average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $6.28, which means a pack-a-day habit takes away from you $188 per month or $2,292 per year. Ten years of smoking comes with a $22,920 price tag.

6. Auto-Pay

Set up auto-pay on your savings account and different expenditures, such as your electricity and internet. This can help you budget with less hassle as well as reduce the temptation to spend money. Many companies also offer discounts when you set your account to auto-pay, so it saves you additional money.

7. Keep An Eye On Progress

It is essential for you to keep an eye on your progress and analyze your budget frequently. Analyzing your budget each time can help you to keep your focus on long-term financial goals.