5 Reasons Why Your Personal Budget Isn’t Working and How to Fix It
Thursday, April 3, 2014, 1:00 AM | Leave Comment
While it is always a good idea to set a personal budget if you are having money problems, but just doing so will not fix all of your problems. These are the most common problems why your budget is failing and the easy tips to fix them.
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It is Too Strict
Cutting your spending down to the bare bones may seem like a great idea to save money, but it is virtually never going to succeed. This drastic change in lifestyle is not going to work for most people, so they give up with the strict budget very quickly. It is much better to slowly reduce spending over time.
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No Emergency Plans
A budget may be working extremely well, but it is doomed to fail if there are no emergency plans. It is impossible to avoid large emergency expenses your entire life, so you have a spot for them in your budget. Take some of the money you have been saving with your budget and apply it directly to an emergency fund. If you put your emergency fund money in a savings account like that at Mansfield Credit Union, then you will be able to earn interest on your money while it waits to be used.
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You Were Too Impatient
Budgets take time to work properly, so you can’t abandon them after only a few months. Everyone wants a quick fix to their problems, but that is just not going to happen when using a personal budget. Never abandon a budget if you are actually spending less money. Just make some minor adjustments if you desire different results.
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You Didn’t Make Adjustments
Personal budgets usually require a lot of guessing when they are first created. Since you have been spending over your means for so long, you do not exactly know what you can cut back on. Sticking with your budget and making small adjustments each month is the only way to succeed.
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No Goals Were Set
If you do not set a clear goal when you first make your budget, then how is it possible to know if you are actually doing a good job. Goals such as getting rich or paying off your debt are too broad to know if your budget is truly working. Setting monthly goals with an exact amount that you want to save are much more effective. An exact goal will also help you determine the adjustments that need to be made if you are not reaching your goal each month.
