How to Find Best Way to Budget Your Money

Knowing how to Budget your money is one of the most important skills you can learn. Due to poor financial habits, most people make a lot of money but still live paycheck to paycheck.
The best way to manage your money is to have a well thought out plan and stick to it.

Below are the steps you should follow when setting up a budget:

1.Determine Your Income
You should start by determining the amount of money you make every month after taxes.
If your monthly income varies, you can use your total earnings for the last six months to calculate an average amount.
Also, you should consider other sources of income like dividends and interests when calculating your monthly earnings.

2. Calculate Your Expenses
After calculating your monthly income, you should then determine your total expenses. This entails the money you spend on rent, transport, food, and utilities, among others.
You should also include the money you spend on entertainment such as vacations and dinner dates to get a full picture of your monthly expenses.

3. Note the Difference Between Income and Expenses
If you’re spending more than you are making, there is a problem.
You can choose to increase your channels of income or reduce your spending.
Reducing your expenses is much easier since you only must determine the things you spend on but don’t necessarily need and eliminate them.

4. Set a Savings Goal
After you have reduced your expenses, you will find that the money available for savings increases.
You should then ascertain the amount you can comfortably save and still cover your monthly expenses without strain.
Some people prefer to set a specific percentage of their income, for example, 10% 0r 20 %, for their savings.
The aim of saving is not to merely accumulate money. You should have a plan of what to do with the savings once you have reached your intended target.

5. Keep Track of Your Budget
You should regularly keep track of your expenses and savings to make sure you stick to your financial goals.
Any increase in monthly income should be accompanied by an increase in savings.

The Bottom Line
To budget your money effectively, you require a lot of discipline and commitment. This is because spending is easier as compared to saving. However, setting a budget with realistic financial goals can help you manage your money properly. 0

Sam Michael writes about saving money, budgeting, frugal living tips, possible ways to make money and how to start a successful blog