5 Handy Strategies to Revive Your Home Budget

5 Handy Strategies to Revive Your Home Budget
  • Opening Intro -

    Taking proper care of your home budget is the ground principle of smart financial management.

    Observed from the outside, it looks pretty simple – you get a payment and you just plan the expenditure until the next payment.

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However, every member of the household has their specific needs. When those factors are included in the home budget formula, more often than not you get a chaotic result. Still, there are always some handy solutions that can help you increase the level of self-discipline and, consequently, the home budget.

Ban on credit cards

As of October 2016, the total credit card debt of US households was about $981 billion, according to a report published by Balance.com. No matter if you’re an American or not, you’ve probably experienced what it looks like to be undisciplined with credit cards. Firstly, you can never get out of debt. Secondly, you get frequent phone calls from the bank. Thirdly, your credit reputation is damaged by late credit card payments. For all these reasons, it’s time to draw the line and start an evacuation operation. Visit your personal banker and start this action by eliminating the most expensive debt. Repeat the action for all the remaining cards. The treatment might last a few years, but always remember that your wounded finances need time to heal.

Modern car policy

The car has been one of the main symbols of freedom and high standard in the majority of developed countries. Summer vacations with family, road trips with friends and everyday errands – they all depend on your 4-wheel pet. On the flip side, an average car spends as much money as an average toddler; sometimes even more. Therefore, if you’ve realized that you can hardly make ends meet, you should sell your car or replace it with a less expensive one. What you can do instead is get a fleet of bicycles for you and your family. Not only that you’re going to save thousands of dollars a year, but your physical condition will also get better. Some governments even support and subsidize cycling. For more details, have a look at an interesting piece on the health benefits of the Dutch obsession by cycling, brought by the Times.

Smart time management

If you have to work your back off in order to make enough money and keep your budget alive, you might be doing something in a wrong way. For instance, don’t meet your friends during lunch breaks at work, because you might lose an hour or two that you have to make up for later.

Contrary to that, bring a strict work policy regarding your work hours and meet your friends after work or at weekends. You’ll be more relaxed and have more quality time to hang out with them.

Apart from that, invite your friends for walks in nature or bike rides. You’ll save some money and you’re also going to do some physical activity.

Eliminate standing in lines

Instead of paying your bills in banks or other institutions, start using e-banking services. Similarly, stop chasing your landlord or the home estate agency. You’ll waste both fuel and time. You can pay those services via the Internet. What’s more, when I realized I can pay my rent online, the amount stress related to that action dropped, as well.

In addition, don’t spend hours in supermarkets every weekend, but use the Internet for shopping. Even if you have to go to the supermarket to get groceries, do some Internet research first and plan what you’re going to buy, so as to avoid impulse buying.

Book vacations in advance

Speaking from other people’s experience, it seems that giving up travels on account of personal saving measures is the hardest thing to do. Since it seems that we all experience some kind of cold turkey when we have to reduce our vacations, you might not have to cease to travel. What you should do is plan those travels a few months ahead. For instance, buy low-cost plane tickets months in advance. That way, you can squeeze the entire family into the full price of a regular single ticket.

Moreover, book vacations several months in advance. Many agencies offer special discounts for early booking, so use that opportunity.

Money is a tricky thing. No matter how much you earn, you can always spend more. But if you want to save some money as a just-in-case cushion and increase the quality of your life, apply our strategies and keep your budget under control.

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with ten years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.

Budget Managment reference:

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Categories: Budgeting

About Author

Dan Radak

Dan Radak is a web hosting security professional with ten years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of online security, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.