The Monthly Budget Planner: A Homemaker's Helper

Every person in charge of their household finances should have some kind of monthly budget planner. In many cases, the main homemaker is the one who also handles the purse strings. If that happens to be you, read on to learn strategies of managing your household funds that can help everyone in your family. Of course the first thing you should do is look through different kinds of budget planners. Some are bound in leather, others are made like ringed binders and some are kept on your computer. It all depends on what you like best.

A budget is a simple thing that many people neglect to keep up with. The first thing you need to do is figure out all incoming money. This includes your income as well as any side jobs, child support or other funds coming in regularly. Next, write down all your expenses. You don't have to write down each individual purchase, rather group things into categories. You might have categories like housing, transportation, savings, credit cards, spending, insurance and so on. You might want to create a small purchases category to cover those little things you pick up here and there, such as the occasional pack of chewing gum or gossip magazine, for example.

Now comes the moment of truth. After filling in the amounts you are currently spending on your various expense categories, add them up. Your expenses will hopefully be less than your income. However in many cases they are more. With budget planners you can adjust amounts in certain categories to save more money and have funds left over each month. These funds can be added to savings, spending, debt or used however you see fit.

With a monthly budget planner, paying the bills is no longer such a hassle. If you keep your planner online or on your computer, look into online bill payment. It is an easy alternative for many people who like using their computer for such transactions. It is faster than mailing a check, that's for sure. Some financial management programs actually have this feature, you can program them to pay certain bills from your designated bank account on certain dates. By taking charge of your finances, you are helping your family live a more comfortable and prosperous life, especially if you pay attention to savings and debt reduction.

 


 

Money Management News:

 

NDP determined to fight Harper on next budget - CBC.ca

CBC.ca
NDP determined to fight Harper on next budget
CBC.ca
Interim NDP Leader Nycole Turmel promised on Wednesday to make Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first majority budget the "fight of her life," as the Official Opposition vowed to protect the interests of Canadian families. The interim leader, now with .
NDP calls for independent review of MP pension planCTV.ca
NDP interim leader Nycole Turmel says MP pension reform should be handled by .Toronto Star

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Cherington balancing needs, budget - MLB.com

Cherington balancing needs, budget
MLB.com
The team's budget, he said, is not equivalent to the threshold. "First of all, Marco was a good player here, a very good player," Cherington said. "When we picked up his option, we felt like the number on his option, the salary on his option, .

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How to do the Pike Place Market on a budget - Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)

Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
How to do the Pike Place Market on a budget
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
Follow these tips to have fun at the Market on a budget. (Mike Urban/seattlepi.com file) Osaka Teriyaki is one of the best lunch deals in downtown Seattle. The daily special, usually chicken, is $6. Sometimes the corner of First and Pike seems like a .

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DN Editorial: School budget: Sky falls again - Philadelphia Inquirer

CBS Local
DN Editorial: School budget: Sky falls again
Philadelphia Inquirer
AFTER YEARS, if not decades, of school budget crises, you'd think there would be no more sky to fall, but last week the School Reform Commission found a big piece of very cloudy sky that will do further damage to the ongoing struggles of the district: .
Controller: School District Must Explain Financials. NowPatch.com

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Politics of defense cuts: emphasize the positive - Fox News

Al-Arabiya
Politics of defense cuts: emphasize the positive
Fox News
WASHINGTON EUR The Pentagon is preparing to tighten its belt, but with an election-year battle looming in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wants to stress the positive: Parts of the budget devoted to .
Pentagon cuts to include trimming troop strength, grounding dronesCNN (blog)

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Board approves preliminary budget, School Lane charter high school - phillyBurbs.com

PennLive.com
Board approves preliminary budget, School Lane charter high school
phillyBurbs.com
Bensalem's school board on Wednesday unanimously approved a preliminary $123.6 million budget for 2012-13 that includes a tax increase of about $89 for the average property owner. Under the preliminary 2012-13 budget, the tax millage rate would .
Derry Township school board passes $53.9 million preliminary budgetPennLive.com

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Women trump men in basic money management: MasterCard AP survey
MANILA, Philippines EUR” Women have stronger money management skills than men in areas such as everyday financing and planning, but struggle around more complex financial concepts, according to results of the latest MasterCard survey on Consumer Purchasing Priorities - Money Management. Respondents across seven Asia/Pacific markets were questioned on their ability to handle everyday budgeting ...


Audit finds widespread problems at Shelby County schools
An audit of Shelby County Schools' Activity and Cafeteria funds uncovered widespread money management problems and could uncover misuse of taxpayer money...


PXT Money and BU's Agganis Arena Join Forces to Raise Money for Hockey East Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer This .
ANDOVER, MA-- - PXT Money, a mobile payment and rewards company, will help BU's Agganis Arena fight against breast cancer, and give hockey fans a chance to join the pay-by-phone revolution, now through ...


 

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