Tuesday, December 29, 2009

FINANCE


 

I'm guessing some people have issues with money. I know I have & I know many people around me who do. So that's what I'm addressing today is FINANCE. This subject in this economy is so crucial. Wrongly handled finances have ruined marriages & relationships. Sometimes financial issues can be the cause of a person being depressed.

So the first thing I recommend you do is get all of your bills together in one spot. Group them together by importance.

1st – RENT/MORTGAGE

2nd – UTILITIES (Electricity bill, water bill, gas bill, house phone bill, trash removal)

3rd – CAR NOTE (also includes car insurance)

4th - OTHER EXPENSES (this includes cell phone bills, credit card bills, money aside for gas & groceries, daycare payments etc…)

After you've grouped your outgoing payments (i.e. bills) together, NEXT get a copy of your check stubs & bank book.

This is very important because you need to keep track on your spending & you need to ensure your bills are paid on time. So I suggest creating a budget (using Excel, so easy & you can print it & post it). Decide which bills can be paid with which check (determined based on when your bills are due). For instance, if your rent is due on the 1st that means you should either 1 PAY IT WITH THE END OF THE MONTH CHECK or 2 PUT ASIDE MONEY OUT OF EACH CHECK TO PAY IT. If your rent is due on the 1st try paying it no later than the 30th so that it's on time. Then there are the bills that never change, house phone bill/trash removal/car note & insurance/day care expenses, you can pre- write those checks or get the money orders on each pay period & just mail them in.

MY MAIN POINT IS TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOUR MONEY HAS BEEN GOING & FIGURE OUT WHERE YOUR MONEY NEEDS TO GO.


 

It may be hard to not shop as much but wouldn't you rather have your finances in order first. And if you're a shopper like me, you can put aside $20-30 a paycheck for shopping then pick one day out of the month & that's your shopping day to spend what you have saved up. And to help out with the shopping urges, try new hobbies that require little to no money at all. Such as taking advantage of free days at a local gym. Maybe you can start a pot luck night to combat spending money on eating out. Or host a dinner party with your friends. There are several ways to hold onto your extra money. My cousins & I share our books so that we don't have to buy new books as often (most of us read a lot).


 

Another thing I really want to share is how you let your finances affect your life. I understand that when you feel like your outgoing money is overriding your incoming money. That's when you keep your spirits lifted. Stay around positive people who understand your situation & motivate you. You should SMILE even when you're sad. You should find things to smile about & things to laugh about even when you feel like crying. Use your circle of close friends for times like this. Ask them to come over & spend time with you. Ask them to pray for you. Prayer is so powerful in numbers.

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