Most people are willing to plan out their vacation time but when it comes to our finances people tend to freeze. Maybe planning out your financial resources feels scarier than planning out vacation time. I am here to tell you that planning out your finances, also known as budgeting, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
Are you the “numbers” person in your family? You enjoy math so doing the budget each month is fun for you. It’s easier for you to manage it, so you take that responsibility, to help your spouse who finds it stressful.
Or, perhaps you’re the spender of the family? You enjoy shopping a little too much, so doing a budget is frustrating for you. It’s easier to let your spouse take care of it and ask him/her to give you a limit on what you can spend each month?
Is either scenario good? Why or why not? Find out in today’s post!
Our gas tank habits can be a very close resemblance to how we manage our bank accounts. We may get to the grocery store with a hope that there is enough in the bank account to cover our purchase. Alternatively, we may know exactly how much is in our bank account at any given moment but we don’t know if we have enough to cover our expenses until the next pay day. Maybe we know we have enough for our regular life but what happens if an emergency arises?
Hypothetically speaking, let’s put our Hope Through Hard Times’ community together in a room. I’m going to ask you to raise your hand if you have a fear of finances.
How many do you think would do it? A few? Half of the room? The entire room?
I’m excited to share with you that Jennifer Hare, a certified accountant and financial coach will be joining our team of writers this year for our financial column. She has a passion for helping people with their finances, so take advantage of these great posts!
…As we start to settle into this new year, how are your resolutions going? Do you have big plans to make changes to your spending habits? Maybe you want to be more organized in your small business? Maybe you simply want to have a better idea of where your money is being spent. So often we have amazing intentions to make positive changes in our lives that just do not seem to stick. We often get down on ourselves and wonder why we keep failing. May I offer the suggestion that you are not failing but rather you just don’t have the right thoughts to make your habits stick yet? Keep reading to see if you can apply one or all of the following suggestions to help turn your success around.
Buying Christmas presents can be overwhelming. There’s presents for family, friends, coworkers, sports teammates, kids, neighbours, charities, etc.
Find out how to enjoy giving gifts this year without feeling worry and regret afterwards.
I was fed-up! I was ready to get the pruning shears out of the shed and chop down the blackberry bush. It had become a huge nuisance.
Have you ever achieved a goal? Have you appreciated the amazing gift it is when you accomplished it? More importantly, did you notice the surprising blessings that happened along the way to motivate you towards the finish line?
My eyes grew wide when I got to the cash register and realized that I had gone $100.00 over budget! I could have blamed the higher prices of everything due to inflation. I tried to justify that we needed everything that I bought. Most of that was true, but truth be told, the culprit was me. I let the sales suck me in.
Your pay remains the same. Your bills are increasing. Now, the news is saying you’re heading towards a recession. What are you going to do?