Personal Budgeting

Be realistic and honest with yourself and try not under estimate your actual expenses. Think long and hard about how much money you have really been spending on these categories and fill in realistic amounts. Make sure you account for everything you spend, even if you don't see a specific category on the budget template, add those expenses to "other" or create a new category that fits your needs.
             Change and improve your budget to meet your goals. Now that you've quantified what your current budget looks like, you'll want to scrutinize it very closely and look for areas to improve. First, define the goal of your budget: is it to save money, understand where you are spending your money, to be able to pay down credit card debt, to be able to pace your spending so that you don't get into trouble, or to find out where all your money is going. Regardless of your goal, there are always ways to improve your financial budget. Here are some tips on how to meet your financial goals:.
             Try to reduce your expenses.
             Control your spending and cut spending to areas that are higher than you expected .
             If possible, increase your income.
             Rationalize your spending, another important rule of financial advice. Think twice before spending your money. I often find myself getting excited about making a purchase and want to jump into it immediately. Before doing so, I make myself step back and weigh that decision. I ask myself "Do I really need that item? or Is the long-term value of that item worth the opportunity cost of spending that money elsewhere?- If you can't find a solid reason to spend your money, then don't spend it! .
             Save your money. The smartest words ever said by anyone: "A penny saved is a penny earned."" Start small. Don't give up. Don't dip into your savings unless it's an emergency. Every little bit helps. Did you know that if you saved $1 per day and invested it at 10%, you'd have almost $200,000 in 40 years? Every little bit counts, and it is very important that you take this financial advice, get out of debt and save money - and start saving it now.