A lot of people think it is hard to start and stick to a budget.
They believe that either it will not allow them to spend in the way they
are accustomed to spending or they feel as though they cannot stick to
it and stay on track. Fortunately, I have found this to be fictitious.
A few years ago I started using a budget. I had a Coach that helped me to create a very tight budget that I thought I would not be able to stick to but then I discovered that it was much easier to stick to the plan that I created for myself when there was someone else monitoring me as well. I had initially thought that it would be hard for me to adapt but it was the total opposite.
Once the plan was laid out for me I begin the process of changing not just my habits but also my mindset about how I felt and thought about budgeting. I started to realize that it wasn't this big green monster that I thought it was but it was actually my friend. I had to start viewing it differently in order to be ready to make the necessary changes I needed to make.
The first thing I did was track my spending habits. Tracking your spending can be painful because that is when you find out that your money is going down a black hole with no hope of return. For me that meant that I had to stop going to Ross every time I got paid and I also had to stay away from my favorite shoe store.
Yes, the first thing was the shoe store. I have a favorite shoe store, I won't tell my secret, but there was one time I went in the store and because the shoes were on sale for $4.99, $5.99 and $6.99 I bought 20 pairs of shoes. That's right I did that. The store clerk had to help me carry the shoes to the car. I was bad about buying shoes because I could never go and just buy one pair, I had to buy three to four pairs at a time. I knew I had to make the change and I thought it would be difficult but it went much better than I had hoped.
Now your thing may not be shoes but there is something. We all have our "favorite" thing that we spend money on even if we are not a person that is addicted to shoes. I can tell you from experience that once you start it will get easier if you remember that everything must change. If I could make the change several years ago then you can change also.
Here are some tips to help out:
1. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Once you get the picture in your mind of why you are doing something keep it ingrained in your mind and it will make the process easier in every way.
2. Decide what goal you have to reach and make a plan to stick to that goal. Creating a budget is like plugging an address into your GPS. You have to know where you are going in order to get to the desired place.
3. Lastly, get some help. So often people try to do things on their own. While there is nothing wrong with that just think about how much more you accomplish when there is more than one person. Get a second set of eyes on your finances. Preferably someone who knows what they are doing and care about your results to keep you on track.
Once you have put all of these things into practice then you can start creating your budget. The first step is to make the decision to create your spending and savings plan, which is a fancy way of saying budget. Remember to get some help with it so that someone is holding you accountable and watch and see how your finances change.
A few years ago I started using a budget. I had a Coach that helped me to create a very tight budget that I thought I would not be able to stick to but then I discovered that it was much easier to stick to the plan that I created for myself when there was someone else monitoring me as well. I had initially thought that it would be hard for me to adapt but it was the total opposite.
Once the plan was laid out for me I begin the process of changing not just my habits but also my mindset about how I felt and thought about budgeting. I started to realize that it wasn't this big green monster that I thought it was but it was actually my friend. I had to start viewing it differently in order to be ready to make the necessary changes I needed to make.
The first thing I did was track my spending habits. Tracking your spending can be painful because that is when you find out that your money is going down a black hole with no hope of return. For me that meant that I had to stop going to Ross every time I got paid and I also had to stay away from my favorite shoe store.
Yes, the first thing was the shoe store. I have a favorite shoe store, I won't tell my secret, but there was one time I went in the store and because the shoes were on sale for $4.99, $5.99 and $6.99 I bought 20 pairs of shoes. That's right I did that. The store clerk had to help me carry the shoes to the car. I was bad about buying shoes because I could never go and just buy one pair, I had to buy three to four pairs at a time. I knew I had to make the change and I thought it would be difficult but it went much better than I had hoped.
Now your thing may not be shoes but there is something. We all have our "favorite" thing that we spend money on even if we are not a person that is addicted to shoes. I can tell you from experience that once you start it will get easier if you remember that everything must change. If I could make the change several years ago then you can change also.
Here are some tips to help out:
1. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Once you get the picture in your mind of why you are doing something keep it ingrained in your mind and it will make the process easier in every way.
2. Decide what goal you have to reach and make a plan to stick to that goal. Creating a budget is like plugging an address into your GPS. You have to know where you are going in order to get to the desired place.
3. Lastly, get some help. So often people try to do things on their own. While there is nothing wrong with that just think about how much more you accomplish when there is more than one person. Get a second set of eyes on your finances. Preferably someone who knows what they are doing and care about your results to keep you on track.
Once you have put all of these things into practice then you can start creating your budget. The first step is to make the decision to create your spending and savings plan, which is a fancy way of saying budget. Remember to get some help with it so that someone is holding you accountable and watch and see how your finances change.
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