Getting Started With a Budget
Using a budget is one of the smartest money management moves you could make. For guidance on using a paper & pencil system, read the Budget Quick Start Guide and make use of the Cash Flow Plan, Cash Flow Tracker, and Recommended Spending Guidelines, all found in the Resources section. For help using the online tool Mint.com, watch my tutorials here, here, and here. And for help with the Envelope system, read this article.
Remember, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5
The fact that you’re reading a personal finance blog says a lot about your commitment to manage money well. However, I’m curious to know more about your motivations. To use a question frequently asked by our two-year-old: “But why?” Are you trying to get out of debt? Build savings? Figure out the best way to […]
If you think about it, there are only a few things you can do with money. You can spend it, make debt payments with it, save it, invest it, and give it away. In countless ways, that’s the order our culture conditions us to choose. So, we start earning our first salary and our first […]
When it comes to personal finance – and life in general, for that matter – I’ve never been one to chase fads. I prefer timeless truths and proven ideas. That’s why I’m such a fan of the business classic, “Good to Great.” And it’s why I’m so intrigued with how well the insights that book […]
This week, popular free online budget site Mint.com launched a new tool that helps people figure out when they could be out of debt and keeps them updated on their progress. I’ll explain how it works, along with its pros and cons, in a minute. But first, a little background. Making Budgets Cool When Mint […]
Regular readers know I highly recommend that everyone use a budget, or as I prefer, a Cash Flow Plan. It’s the most powerful tool I know of for smart money management. There are three steps involved in using a Cash Flow Plan. First, plan the use of your income. How much will you give, save, […]
When you’re getting to know the person you’re thinking about marrying, there’s so much to learn. Some of it comes about through questions as you ask each other about past experiences and future goals. Some of it also comes about through observation. Does he respect his parents? Is she usually on time? But it isn’t […]
A Cash Flow Plan (budget) is the single most powerful personal finance tool anyone can use for wise money management. But this is not a one-size-fits all proposition; there are different planning and tracking systems, each with its own advantages. Here are the options, along with my recommendations as to who would benefit the most […]
Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a strong believer in the use of a budget. Once you start tracking your income and expenses, the next logical question is how much should I spend on food, fun, and all the rest. That’s why I developed detailed recommended spending guidelines for one-, two-, three-, and […]
I’m excited about the start of a New Year, the opportunity to pursue some important new goals, and the opportunity to share ideas with you on how to live with the freedom and joy that come from getting the money thing right. As we reset the calendar, this seems like an appropriate time to explain […]
It’s right about now when many of us make goals for the New Year. We dream of where we’d like to go in the various areas of life – health, relationships, finances – and then we start creating a plan. In “Good to Great,” author Jim Collins says that’s the exact wrong path to greatness. […]
