You know you SHOULD do a budget, but you may find yourself living paycheck to paycheck and being too tired, overwhelmed or uneducated to know how to go about designing a budget that will actually reflect your family finances and help you to plan for expenses. Where can you turn for help and what can a single parent do to learn more about budgeting?
Help with budgeting may be as close as your bank or credit union. Many have customer service individuals who may be able to help you and more and more banks have budgeting information available with online banking. I know that with my accounts at Key Bank, I am able to track and categorize income and expenses and there is even a system available online that can help walk me through setting up a budget based on what my expenses are (and help me keep track so I can stay within the budget.)
A financial planner can also help you with a budget. Granted, you will probably have to pay for this service but it may be well worth your time and money to sit down with a financial planner and get your finances in order. This professional can help you with budgeting, saving, planning for retirement, investing, and other financial challenges. For a single parent, it can be incredibly valuable to get comfortable and savvy with these financial realities.
Finally, you may have a friend who can help you. If you have a friend who is an accountant or is otherwise good with money and budgeting, you might consider asking if he or she will sit down and help you to design a good working budget. This may mean putting yourself on the line a little bit, but if it is a trusted friend, you will likely learn a great deal while you work out the details and develop a sound budget to guide you.
If you cannot afford help, nor do you feel comfortable asking for help in person—a trip to your library or book store will yield a wealth of books that can help you learn how to budget and plan for your household and family finances.
See Also: the MONEY Blog