You Need A Budget For Your Goals

Happy Today!

A budget is more than just a series of numbers on a page; it is an embodiment of our values.

Barack Obama

You need a budget for your goals.

Yes, you! The person reading this post. You need a budget for your goals.

Why you need a budget?

A budget is used to help you establish financial security. It allocates funds to the necessary elements of your life. If you took the time to write down your goals, take the next step and add a line item into your budget.

Including your goals in your budget allows you to identify what financial resources you can or cannot devote each month. When the money isn’t there, you will need to edit your action plan.

Activities to Consider In Budget

Activities you will want to consider are:

Coaching

Professional Conferences

Continuing Education

Memberships

Books and Audiobooks

Webinar and Seminars

How to Budget For Goals

Start small and be realistic. Look for low cost but high reward endeavors. Sit down with paper and pen or a spreadsheet, add a line item for personal growth. Don’t take away from your household necessities – if you don’t have money to pay your rent or buy food, now may not be the right time to divert funds.

Ways to Save $ When $ is Tight

Consider setting up sinking funds. A sinking fund is money you set aside for a specific purpose. Vacation funds and Christmas funds are examples of sinking funds. A few ways to set them up is to:

* Allocate money in your budget, say $5 weekly or $20 monthly. Consider development activities as a bill you must pay to yourself.

* Save the change from purchases and put to the side. This can be used with an old fashioned piggy bank, desperate bank account or an envelope system.

* Round up for purchases and divert the money towards cash held in an automated account. Apple users can use Apple Cash as an option for diverting the change.

* Participate in money challenges such as $1 challenge. A quick internet search will give several money challenges for saving this year.

* Request gift cards and money from family & friends during special occasions . Explain why you want this form of gifting so as to not seem like you’re taking advantage of people. Everyone has different monetary restrictions so make sure you are willing to accept small donations. Every little bit helps.

* Sign up for hotel, credit card and flight rewards programs. Oftentimes you can trade in points for gift cards, flights, hotels, etc. Big ticket activities often require travel & lodging. Pay attention to your rewards balances but don’t put yourself in debt. That would defeat the purpose.

Remember

If you can’t add money today, plan to add it tomorrow. Take it one day at a time and remember there are free tools you can use. Investing in yourself and your future is like investing in the stock market or 401K – the sooner you start the more you gain.

Do you budget for your own success? How much did you start with?

Til next time,

“The poor and the middle-class work for money. The rich have money work for them.” – Robert Kiyosaki