Search Results for: blog feeling out of control with your budget

Five Signs that You Are Living Beyond Your Means

You could be living beyond your means and not realize it. Why is this a problem? Well, when we live beyond our means, we can quickly run up debt. This debt can snowball until it becomes hard to manage, a real crisis. That is why it is so important to recognize the early warning signs and make the changes that are necessary to get your finances back on track. Sometimes it seems as though you are supporting your lifestyle and don’t have a problem paying for anything. After all, your credit cards aren’t being turned down at the store, and … Continue reading →

Comparing the Value of Your Things to Your Time

How do you value things? This can be one way that can help you if you are constantly overspending in one area. It gives you an easy comparison of what something is worth to you. You can break it down into whatever form that you want to and then make the comparison to decide if the money you are spending is worth it. My husband measures everything in comparison to the value of a video game. He plays video games to relax. He purchases one about every two months, so it is not a common purchase. When we are spending … Continue reading →

Feeling out of control with your budget? A Hint

There are some days I just don’t like being on a budget. Today for instance. And yesterday, and the day before. Today I wanted to go spend some money at the bookstore. I don’t very often buy books, but when I do, watch out, I tend to purchase six on the same subject and devour them all. Right now I’m researching some fun creative projects and I just wanted info NOW! My perfect day would have been the bookstore and then to have hubby bring home some dinner. I didn’t do either of those. Instead I looked up some information … Continue reading →

One Tip to Jolt Your Bad Spending Habit.

Depressed over Money? Don’t Spend to Compensate! For some people spending money isn’t about the money at all – it’s about boredom, or depression or addiction. Somehow we’ve gotten our spending and shopping under control, but when we see the debt, we get depressed and – you guess it – shop to make us feel better! It’s a vicious cycle. Maybe you’ve been there: You are feeling a bit blue so you head to the mall to get out of the house. You see a dress on sale that you just have to have for your birthday party only seven … Continue reading →

My Loves and Hates Around Budgeting

I’ve only been budgeting a short time, so Hubby and I are still feeling our way around. So far, this is what budgeting to me means: Pre- spending your money on paper, before you actually get the cash in hand. Taking a set amount of cash, needed for the week in envelopes. Watching prices at the grocery store. Writing everything down on a daily (hubby) or weekly (hubby and I together) basis to evaluate our financial situation. Sounds easy enough …. NOT! I’m forced to think about things like: What do we want to eat for dinner this week? And … Continue reading →

Are Your Budgeting Changes Worth the Sacrifice?

As you begin to make the changes you need to in your budget and spending habits, it is important to not become discouraged. It can be difficult to make the changes that are necessary to help you bring your finances under control. For some people it may take quite a few years to get themselves out of the hole that they have created. For others it may not take as long. It is important to realize that the no matter how long it takes, you are making changes for the better. If you are using the debt snowball, it begins … Continue reading →

Five Reasons Not to Budget

Here are the top five excuses for not budgeting. Most of these excuses are things that people have shared with me in the past. It is important to realize that budgeting can benefit you even if you do not think that you need to bother with it. 1) “I don’t have the time to track all of my expenses.” This is usually is mentioned by the same people who do not have the time to keep a running balance in their checking accounts. They are always confused as to why they never have any money. 2) “When I run out … Continue reading →

Are You Living Within Your Income?

One of the most important questions to ask yourself when thinking about money is “Are you living within your income?” It is a simple question. The answer can predict your feelings about money, and the future that you will have. Generally if you are living within you income, you know where your money is being spent. You may or may not have a strict budget, but once you have spent a certain amount of money each month you stop. You may not have the constant worry of how you will meet your obligations. By choosing to live within your income, … Continue reading →

What’s Ahead for 2011?

I’m sure I’m not the only person looking ahead at the new year with a combination of excitement about all the possibilities and apprehension about the situation we find ourselves in, economically. You can hardly turn on a news station without seeing self-proclaimed financial gurus sharing their thoughts on this, that, and the other thing, while no one knows who the experts really are any more. But here are some facts that we need to face as we make our goals and plans for the coming twelve months: 1. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing. There are currently six million Americans who … Continue reading →

The Saga of the Training Pants

Just what we need around our houses. More potty talk. But I’m telling you, this subject is gripping. Fascinating. I’m talking about night time toilet training. The other day I mentioned that my daughter seems to have graduated to training pant-less nights. This would be a great boon to our budget and to our garbage if it were the case. However, since her night time pees tended to be quite epic, she is a little afraid to ditch the training pants completely. I can’t say that I blame her. So I came up with a plan. For those of you … Continue reading →