Setting Goals and Limits for the New Year is Important for Budgeting
Goals and limits for budgeting
Are you always struggling to manage your money and stick to hard spending limits and boundaries? Are you prone to overspending and over-indulging? You’re definitely not alone.
Growing expenses make it harder to cope with the stress and pressure to save and set reasonable, attainable budgets. There’s nothing wrong with you for being unable to budget appropriately--however, financial management is one of the most important things to do in Miami, given the high cost of living.
That’s why we’re sharing some realistic, achievable, and attainable budgeting tips to help you set better spending limits--and honor them--in the new year:
Decide on a budgeting method that works for you
People budget in all sorts of ways, with some using an expense vs. income method, others setting financial goals, dividing salaries into segments, etc., and tracking them through spreadsheets like Excel, pen and paper, envelopes and cash division, or recording expenses through different apps. You need to find what works for you and is easiest to maintain for both long-term and short-term budgeting strategies.
List all recurring and fixed expenses that you have
Next, make a comprehensive list of all your running expenses. That includes bills, installments, debts like mortgages and car payments, kids’ expenses, fuel, and medical costs, among others, as well as anything else you pay for. It helps to have an exhaustive list, especially of recurring expenses that you’re bearing on a monthly or quarterly basis. This list will give you an overview of where most of your money is going each month.
Automate your savings and set a minimum
Once you know how much you’re making (after taxes) and your expenses, you can set a minimum amount for your savings and place that on automated payments. Either set a withdrawal limit or automatically transfer that amount to your savings account each month. This will help keep you disciplined with your spending and prevent you from using up that money. If you’re left with a little spare cash, you can decide whether you’d like to indulge a bit more this month or add that to your savings.
Always have an emergency fund or savings
However, while you’re saving for, let’s say, college, a wedding, retirement, a new car, a home, or whatever else, you should also make sure that you have an emergency fund or money put aside for a rainy day. This can be part of your overall savings or an extra amount that you budget aside every month, depending on what you’re left with.
This budget doesn’t need to be constant and should be revisited intermittently. Either every few months, annually, or after you hit certain financial milestones is typically a good time to re-evaluate your existing budget.
Healthy financial goals and budgeting are the cornerstones of a better year, and we’re here to make it easier for you to accomplish that. Learn more about how to save and what not to do in Miami if you’d like to stay on top of your budgeting and finance limits.
But we’re also bringing you a lot of fun recommendations and great suggestions for things to do in Miami on a regular and seasonal basis. Subscribe to Calle Ocho News today!
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