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Save a fortune by becoming financially savvy

March 5, 2009    Posted in: Debt Advice
Most people would like to believe they are financially aware; in this current economic climate, knowledge of your outgoings could be key to keeping control on your spending and avoiding debt. For many people, managing the family finances can be a difficult and arduous task. With bills arriving throughout the month, ad hoc costs that you haven’t anticipated and the general rising cost of living, sticking to a monthly budget can be difficult. However, failing to keep within your spending parameters could leave you at risk of sinking into debt. If you don’t know the balance of your current account, your monthly outgoings are higher than your salary, or you’re increasingly turning to credit cards to pay the bills, you could be at risk of slipping into the red. The easiest step towards managing your money is to write everything down – when you list all your regular outgoings such as utility bills, council tax and cable television payments in an excel sheet or word document, it often surprises people to see how many financial demands are on their monthly wage. By knowing your basic financial commitments, you can then budget for food, clothing and entertainment for the next few weeks. If you find it hard to pay bills on time, switching to a monthly direct debit will ensure you’re never caught out by a large payment demand, plus the regular sum is deducted straight from your account on a date that suits you. Consolidating your bills into regular consistent payments will also help you to be truly aware of your monthly outgoings, making it simpler to work out how much spare cash you have each week. To manage your finances from day to day, set yourself a budget for the week and take out that amount of cash every Monday. It can be tempting to put most of your payments onto plastic, but handing over notes and coins can often bring home the realisation of what you’re truly spending. Finally, if you reign in your spending and still have some spare change at the end of the month, don’t be tempted to blow that cash on unnecessary items. Ideally you should have the equivalent of one month’s salary in savings, in case of redundancy or a financial emergency, and by being financially aware you could build up enough savings to secure your long term future as well as your day-to-day subsistence.
March 5, 2009    Posted in: Debt Advice

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