One of the things that we are not taught to do as children is how to balance the checkbook and manage our money effectively which unfortunately impedes our ability to most effectively use our resources without going into debt. In fact, the idea that we have finite resources and must make choices is at the heart of economic theory. This is also the core idea in personal finance budgeting: making choices when there is only a finite amount of money.
Prior to making changes in our financial decisions, we should first look at why and how we currently spend money. This is called financial surveying. An easy way to do so is to pull out six months worth of bank account statements and credit card statements, and go through each item. For every transaction, place it into a category. An example is the category of entertainment, where we might put the cost of going to nice restaurants and paying for admission at a museum.
With a list of recent transactions, we are able to start comparing the importance of different items. One way to do this is to presume that there are three kinds of costs. One, there are fixed costs that cannot be compromised, such as a monthly house mortgage or car payment. Two, there are variable costs that can be changed or modulated, such as switching to a cheaper coffee every morning rather than the premium kind bought at Starbucks. Three, there are costs that can be removed entirely.
In what followings we think about particular kinds of costs that are actionable.
The calling plan on a cell phone is not a fixed cost. In case you own an outdated phone plan, it may be costing you more than you need to pay. You can compare your cellular phone plan with others that might be suggested to you by identifying a good personal budgeting online place, entering your mobile phone plan info, then seeking comparisons. A comprehensive site offers a list of phone plans that are suggested in your city and will work with what you need.
Acquiring appliances for your house or apartment belongs to the category of variable costs also. A sizable appliance can be a challenge to your budget both in the purchase price and in the cost of energy needed to run the appliance. Every consumer website will tell you that it is important to find out about the energy star ratings and energy requirements of an appliance before purchasing it.
Finally, something like insurance cannot be eliminated (a fixed cost) but one can still take steps to decrease it. You may be able to get lower insurance rates if your job falls into a low risk category and is determined to be safer than most. If you are an accountant or a teacher or someone who works in another sort of safe situation, you might be able to get lower health insurance rates.
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