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Budgeting 101: 6 Easy Tips to Help You Build a Budget

Budgeting 101: 6 Easy Tips to Help You Build a Budget
Budgeting 101: 6 Easy Tips to Help You Build a Budget © Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

Even before the pandemic hit, budgeting your finances has had its positive effects. For one, having a budget ensures you have a go-to-source whenever emergencies arise. As it allows you to save more money, having a budget is one of the best things to have.

Although most people think that having a budget or being on a budget is often associated with being a cheapskate, they’re wrong. Having a budget doesn’t mean that you don’t want the expensive, finer things in life. Having a budget ensures that you get what you want and need while not overspending and putting yourself in deep financial trouble.

Now that the pandemic has hit us, more people are having trouble with budgeting and their finances. To help you with that, here are some budgeting tips that you can apply today!

Seeing Everything

First off, you need to see everything when it comes to your finances. Make sure you know where the money is coming from and where it’s going out. Having a clear picture of your finances is the first significant step on how to build a budget. It also helps you root out overspending, a big no-no when it comes to creating a budget.

Overspending might be easy to stop; however, some don’t realize it’s that habit that’s breaking their budget. The problem with overspending is that most people don’t know they’re spending a lot of money on things they might not need or want. With a first-person view of your budget, you’ll easily spot habits and other things that give you problems with your finances.

Prioritizing Your Bills

It’s a known fact that everyone has bills to pay. Whether it’s your internet and data usage, utility bills, and other services, people have to pay them up. Failure in doing so results in that utility getting cut and you having to pay off expensive penalties.

To avoid such situations from happening, always prioritize your bills over anything else. Make a list of bills to pay and determine how much you’ll spend. Believe it or not, prioritizing your bills helps give you a clear picture of your spendings.

As mentioned earlier, having a clear picture of your finances helps you spot problematic areas. You may also have a service or utility you aren’t using that much. With that said, you can cut off that service and end up having tons of savings.

Another benefit you’ll get from prioritizing your bills is the stress you’ll avoid. Sure, you’ll have that expensive watch on your wrist, but is it worth the stress of having no electricity or water in your home?

Paying off Your Debt

It’s normal for a person to have debt. What’s not normal is a person having enormous debt, enough to put him or her in a difficult situation. To avoid such problems, allocate a significant part of your finances to paying up debt. If you fail in paying your debts, you’ll have lower credit scores, resulting in more financial trouble. Once you get to finish paying off the debt, you’ll save up more, not to mention having a breather from paying all those debts.

Setting Goals

Budgeting always has a reason. Whether it’s for a new car or simply just wanting to save up, you always need a reason to budget your finances. In terms of getting something you like, budgeting helps make it easier for you to get what you want. In terms of saving up, budgeting ensures that you have funds whenever you need it.

The 60% Method

Speaking all about priority, goals, and saving up almost feels like you’ve left nothing for yourself. Most of the time, this is what people think budgets do. Although budgeting can require a person to give up on some luxuries, budgets don’t deprive a person of their wants.

When you want to have a budget while still enjoying the finer things in life, you can use the 60% method. The 60% method is a good way on how to build a budget. In this method, 60% of your budget goes to essential bills and debt payments.

The other 40% goes to savings, emergency funds, and of course, personal use. As you can see, having a budget makes sure you have money in times of emergencies while having a bit of room to spend on the things you want.

Resisting the urge

If you have a budget, it’s wise to stick to it. Any deviations from a budget can result in messing it up. You’ll have trouble making up for unnecessary spendings, and you’ll be in a tight spot if it happens more than usual. Resist the urge to splurge, and you won’t have to ever get in that situation.

Takeaway

Now that the pandemic has hit us hard, most of us are having trouble with finances. A lot of people are out of jobs, and spending is at an all-time high. With too many expenditures and little earning, your finances will run out. To avoid such a thing from happening, you need to create a budget that’ll work out. The tips mentioned above are some of the best advice you can follow when creating your budget.

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