Beware of Budget Billing

There are many options that companies may offer you to help you “save” money. They may market it under budget friendly or by having a set amount. Recently I received one such offer. I am going to share it with you, so that you can learn how to evaluate whether your offer is worthwhile. There may be some legitimate offers out there, but you should always read the fine print carefully. The offer I received was for budget billing. The company offered a year long contract with a set monthly payment. They sent me the average monthly payment for this … Continue reading →

The Phone Call Balance

When I first starting dating my husband, he shocked me with what I thought was an unusual money strategy. Whenever he was about to spend money, he would just call his bank to see how much he had. That was how he knew if he had enough to buy something. What! I thought… no checkbook, no budget… who was this man? I couldn’t believe he had managed to function for years on his own with this method of money management. As the years have gone by and I have met and helped many people with their finances, I am surprised … Continue reading →

Get Organized Financially

It can be difficult to get ahead financial if you are not organized when it comes to money matters. This is one of the most important areas of your life to become organized in. It is easy to become overwhelmed with tracking the daily spending, as well as paying the monthly bills. Here are five tips to help you get organized. 1) You should have a place where you store your unpaid bills. When you receive a bill or an account statement, you should put it in a specific place. In order for this to work you need to go … Continue reading →

Are You Getting In Your Own Way When It Comes to Finances?

Are you getting in your own way when it comes to getting out of debt? Your habits or little daily indulgences may be getting in the way of controlling your finances. While you may be frustrated because you have to give up your little or big luxuries, it is important to think about much they are really costing you. If you are constantly worried about your money, then your stress level affects how much you really enjoy your life. You may be costing yourself your peace of mind. You may have to work more, and lose the time that you … Continue reading →

Do Your Lifestyle Choices Affect Your Budget?

Have you considered how your lifestyle affects your finances? I am not referring just to eating out, spending money on new clothing every month or keeping up with the Joneses. I am talking about your lifestyle in regards to your health choices and the way you care for yourself and your family. Here are three specific areas that you may consider evaluating. Of course you ultimately will make the decisions about whether or not you feel that you need to change in these areas. 1) One area that really eats into the budget is smoking. The amount that you spend … Continue reading →

Are You Consistently Overspending in One Category?

What do you do if you consistently overspend in certain categories in your budget? Well the answer really depends on your situation and the categories that you are overspending on. If your money is tight and you do not have a lot of wiggle room you would take a different approach then someone who does not need to worry too much. You may want to consider raising the amount that you have allotted for that category. Of course to make that work you will need to take money from another category to even it out. If you are putting money … Continue reading →

Budget Categories

What categories are in your budget? One problem that many people have with budgeting is that they tend to leave something out. It can be any number of things often they are little. The little things can quickly add up and you may not realize where your money is going. For example my husband loves to stop for a soda and a candy bar on the way home from work. He does this at least three out of the five days a week. Since he is stopping at a convenience store, it is usually about three dollars each day. That … Continue reading →

Hi, I’m Michelle and I’m a Budget Fudgeter.

I’ve been on a well deserved break for a while. Unfortunately, not blogging about money has put my well honed money budgeting habits on break as well. There is something very focusing about writing and blogging about money issues that makes me want to do better. I budget more carefully, watch my pennies, do without more, when I know I’ll be writing about my experiences in this blog. However not writing for the last couple of weeks has made my budgeting lackadaisical I’ve been lazy. Sure I still have my envelopes. One for grocery money. Another for play money and … Continue reading →

Are You an Over Spender?

Are you an over spender? Do you have difficulty sticking to a budget? Or do you have a hard time knowing where you spend your money? Are you surprised at the balance in your account every time you go to an ATM? Do you frequently pay overdraft charges and wonder why you never have enough money? It may be that you make enough money that you feel like you shouldn’t have to worry about what you are spending, but if you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you have a spending problem. It is important that you … Continue reading →

Is Your Budget Set in Stone?

One mistake that many people make is thinking that their budget is set in stone. This can be an easy mistake to make. The reason it can backfire is that once you have gone over in a category, many people think they have blown the entire month, and then stop worrying about the money they are spending. It is important to realize that you can adjust your budget throughout the month, so that you never spend more than you make. You should have some categories that will cover unexpected expenses. This may be an invitation for your child to attend … Continue reading →