During these economic uncertainties, people need to know how to manage their money more than ever to stay afloat and live comfortably. Whether you’re running a small online business with your friends, saving up for your future travel plans with your partner, or spending money to buy an elderly alert system for your grandmother, you need to know how to manage your money as wisely as possible.
Tips On How To Budget Your Money Better
Money management is a skill that not many people consider as one. Like most skills, you need it to succeed in life. Overspending and winging it when you need to pay the bills could negatively affect your future. To budget properly, you will need self-discipline and hard work too. Besides these, here are some other things you can try:
-
Use a budgeting app.
Budgeting apps give you an insight into your income and spending so that you would have better control over your finances. When you use budgeting apps, they will usually connect to your bank account and credit card information. The app you have will then analyze your transactions and spending activities to know when you’re spending more than you’re earning.
There are also different apps you can use depending on your needs. There is one for when you’re overspending, for when you want to save more, for couples, and some apps that give you an overall look at your finances, whatever your situation is.
-
Do the 50-30-20 rule.
The 50-30-20 rule is a technique used by many people to budget their money. You can do this by dividing your income into three categories, which means you should allot 50% of your income for essentials like house rent, utility costs, groceries, gas, and more. You should divide the other half for your savings and other things you want to spend, like a new shirt, shoes, or gifts for your friends’ birthdays. 20% should be for the former and 30% for the latter.
The advantage of doing this is that you’re making sure you always have savings or some emergency funds, no matter how small it is, but you’re not depriving yourself of spending for necessities and other things you want to buy.
-
Pay your bills on time.
Being able to pay your bills on time every month is another reason you should be budgeting better. Some bills that don’t get settled on time would incur some late charges and other fees that would add to your expenses. Unfortunately, even if the reason for late payments is an oversight, these fees will, more often than not, get applied to the total of your bill.
So, to avoid paying late, allot a portion of your income or savings for your bills. It would also be helpful to set a reminder on specific days of each month when you need to pay for your bills. Doing so could avoid any hassles that you could encounter for simply forgetting to pay your bills.
-
Pay off your debt.
There’s nothing wrong with owing anyone money, but it could hinder you from achieving your financial goals, especially if you leave it unpaid for a long time, which could allow it to accrue interest. So, if you have no choice but to borrow money, make sure you find a way to pay it as soon as you can. If you can avoid having a credit card, don’t get one. It is tempting to shop for things you don’t really need all the time.
-
Save for your retirement.
You would eventually want to retire and enjoy your life while living off of your savings at some point in the future. If you’re lucky, you could be working for a company that gives you benefits for your retirement. But of course, you would need to have a safety net when that doesn’t work out; you can’t rely on other people to plan your future for you.
So, if you have the means, find a way to allot a small portion of your savings for your retirement funds. If you also have a lot of time in your hands, you could invest your money or start a side hustle with your earnings from them only going to your retirement.
Save For The Future And The Rainy Days
With all the things you can do to save money and understand your finances better, you should improve your skills in money management. It is an ongoing process that if you plan and execute wisely, it would be very beneficial for you, your family, your plans, and the rainy days.
