When projecting the amount of money you can live on, don't include dollars that you can't be sure you'll receive, such as gifts,
bonuses, tax refunds, or investment gains.
As your annual income climbs from raises, promotions, and smart investing, don't start spending for luxuries until you're sure
that you're staying ahead of inflation. Instead spend it on investments to compound your increased income.
Creating a budget generally requires three steps.
- Identify how you spend money now.
- Evaluate your current spending and set goals
- Track your spending to make sure it stays within those guidelines.
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One drawback of monitoring your spending by computer is that it encourages attention to detail.
Once you determine which categories of spending can and should be cut (or expanded),
concentrate on those categories and worry less about other aspects of your spending.
If withdrawals from the ATM machine evaporate from your pocket without apparent explanation,
it's time to keep better records. In general, if you find yourself returning to the ATM more than
once a week or so, you need to examine where that cash is going.
Spending beyond your limits is dangerous. But if you do, you've got plenty of company.
Government figures show that many households with total income of $50,000 or less are
spending more than they bring in.
This doesn't make you an automatic candidate for bankruptcy - but it's definitely a sign you need to make some serious
spending cuts. If your income doesn't cover your costs, then some of your spending is probably for luxuries - even if you've
been considering them to be filling a real need.
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