How to Budget Principle #1 One of the most important steps when it comes to setting up a successful budget is investing time in gaining a true understanding of your expenses. Too often do we turn to budgeting at a point of financial crisis. The pressure is on to pay the bills, we need a budget and we need it now! In our hurry to pull off a financial miracle, we deliberately leave some expenses out, completely forget some, and naively underestimate others.
Having Fun While Sticking to a Budget
There is a little saying, “Nothing worth doing is ever easy”, which is especially true of budgeting. After all if budgeting was easy everyone would be doing it. There would be no lifestyle debt and we would all have plenty of savings. But the reality is budgeting like losing weight can at times be hard work especially when working towards big long term goals like getting out of debt or saving to buy a home.
What Budget Coaching Is, and What Budget Coaching Isn’t
Over the years we have had a lot of clients tell us that despite being referred to Grandma’s Jars by trusted friends or family they were initially very hesitant to try budget coaching. They knew they could do with some help getting their finances sorted but the idea of sharing intimate details about their spending habits and finances to anyone, let alone a stranger, was very disconcerting. At Grandma’s Jars we understand that talking to a stranger about your finances can be a very difficult thing to do. Admitting we need the help is often the first hurdle but then there is the fear that we will be judged or ridiculed for the financial mess we find ourselves in. In this blog post I want to address some of these concerns or misconceptions by outlining what budget coaching is (and isn’t) at Grandma’s Jars. A Budget Coach Doesn’t Tell You What You Can and Can’t Spend Money On We often find that our clients are initially fearful that by taking on a budget coach they will lose control over what they can and can’t spend their money on – this is not true. The golden rule of money management is …
The 5 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Paying Off Debt
Debt is such an easy thing to take on but paying it off can be infinitely harder. Many of our members initially come to Grandma’s Jars carrying lifestyle debt that they have been struggling to get on top of for years. When approached in the wrong way, debt elimination can become frustrating and soul destroying. In this blog post, I would like to discuss the 5 most common mistakes that most people make when trying to pay off debt.
How to Budget – An Introduction to Grandma’s Jars
After finishing school back in the late 80’s I spent a year working in the UK as an adventure training instructor. Throughout this year I was fortunate to spend a couple of months living with my elderly Grandmother in a seaside town called Weston Super Mare. I have some wonderful memories of living with my Grandma. Her beautiful garden, the forest full of squirrels and the endless plates of cakes and crumpets just to name a few. But the thing that has stuck with me the most was the lessons I learnt from Grandma about money management.
5 Simple Tips for Sticking to a Budget
It doesn’t matter who you are or how much you make, if you want to succeed financially you need to spend less than you earn. This is why learning to budget is such an essential life tool. But like all things worth doing, setting up and living to a realistic budget can be a challenge.