Tag: budgeting

Financial Surprise

As I caught up on the task of logging the money I’ve spent this month I discovered that I’ve done a lot better than I anticipated when it comes to reducing my spending. Even with stocking up this month on pet food and supplies atop of saving some money back for the upcoming book/surplus sale the local library is hosting soon I will have more money left over at the end of this month than I anticipated.

Between that, the fact that I still have last month’s royalties stashed away, an extra paycheck coming this month, and a new round of dividends hitting my account I might be able to afford another round of investing. The stock market is down at the moment; prices on my favorites are at a delightful low. If I could afford to toss another hundred dollars into them that would allow me to inch a bit closer to financial freedom. The extra dividend income may come in handy once Katie moves out but if I don’t need it I would have that much more to reinvest once winter ends.

I’ll know more at the end of the month. For now, it gives me hope that I’ll be able to survive the winter without being forced to suspend my goal of financial freedom entirely.

It’s always a treat to discover that you’re doing better financially than you thought.

Have you ever looked at your finances and realized that you’re doing better than you thought you were? Please share your stories in the comments below.

Getting Serious About Finances

While many of the so-called experts are crying, I’ve discovered that my decision to enter the stock market could not have come at a better time. The US Government has decided that inflation is out of control so they’ve started to raise interest rates to “cool off” the economy.

According to my research, every single time the Fed raises rates, stock prices take a hit as emotional investors panic and others move out of the stock market into safer investments like government bonds.

This is very good news for me, because it means that I’ll be able to buy stocks at bargain basement prices.

In order to maximize my long-term profit, I need to take advantage of this dip. The more I can invest now, the better off I’ll be in the future. That means I have to get really serious about my finances.

I picked up a copy of Your Money of Your Life in hopes of some pointers. The book is filled to the brim with helpful information, but one thing I gleaned from the text was the fact that I need to account for every single penny I spend in order to learn where I stand financially and keep track of the progress that I am making.

I tried to do this on the computer at first, using my knowledge of Excel, and I fell flat on my face. I spent more time trying to use the darned program than actually entering information. I switched around to several free finance applications, only to run into the same issue. I ended up being so frustrated that I was ready to toss my computer against the wall!

So I went back to what I know. I understand the basics of paper accounting. I used that method to keep track of my budget for years during the early days, until my budget became so low I didn’t need to bother. I invested in a ledger and got to work.

Every single penny I spend is documented accordingly. It’s a bit of a chore, but it has made me more conscious of how I spend money. For the first time in my life I’m actually documenting how much I spend on food, books, and other items. I intend to use that knowledge to target areas where I can save in order to maximize the amount I have to invest while the market is in this slump.

Once I have a few months’ of numbers available, I’ll even go into parts of my budget that I’ve never discussed before–like groceries. Perhaps that will help you learn a bit more about controlling your finances, as well as show you a bit more about how I spend my money on a daily basis.

If you’re interested, that is.

Have you ever kept track of every penny you spend? Please share your stories in the comments below.

How I Budget for Bills

No one enjoys paying bills. I for one hate them with a purple passion so I strive to have as few as possible.

When I moved out on my own decades ago, I really struggled. It never seemed to fail; a bill would come due before payday arrived or my check would be short and I wouldn’t have enough. I would sweat bullets every single month as I tried to juggle my finances.

Eventually I worked out a way to resolve the issue. I would pay all of my bills on the first of the month after saving the amount needed the month before. Since I didn’t want to be broke while I saved up the money, I would work out just how much I needed to save every single week on a spreadsheet.

Now that I’ve got a regular paycheck I’ve been able to build up a cushion in my checking account. Thanks to this cushion I no longer have to painstakingly account for every upcoming bill each payday.

Since I know I will be safe if I spend $25 a week on laundromat and extras, I pull that out of the bank and keep it in my pocket. When the money is gone, that’s it. No more little extras until the next payday. That prevents me from accidentally dipping into my bill money. The rest of my paycheck is left in my bank account until the first of the next month.

When the first of the month rolls around I pay all of my bills manually. Once that task is completed I look at the amount that is left. A portion of it (usually half) is sent to my online savings account while the rest is mine to spend or save as I please.

My financial cushion is kept untouched.

How do you budget to pay your bills every month? Please share your stories in the comments below.