In this time of tough economic turmoil many people are looking for ways to earn more money or make their money stretch. There are people out of work, hours have been cut back, or no hopes of raises in the future. But, regardless of what is going on around us, we still have to pay our bills and live from one day to the next. So, many people are looking for options to make their current budgets stretch a little farther.
This article is going to explore the process of creating a good budget in 3 steps: listing your expenses, estimating your expenditures, and monitoring your progress.
Step 1: Listing Your Expenses
The first step is to take a look at your current expenses and bills. Write down everything that you spend money on: rent/mortgage, utility bills, cable, internet, phone, groceries, eating out, car payment, insurance, gas, etc, etc. Think of every single thing that you would possibly spend money on and put it on your list. Even if it seems trivial (such as coffee in the mornings) you still need to write it down in order to be successful with your budget-- those little things can really add up fast!
Step 2: Estimating Your Expenditures
Take a look at your history of spending over the past few months and list out all of the money that you have spent. Categorize everything into the expenses line items so that you can see exactly how much you are spending on each thing. Then start tracking your spending everything write down EVERYTHING that you buy... even if it's just $.50 for a candy bar from the vending machine.
Step 3: Monitoring Your Progress
Compare your spending to your budget and see if you are staying within your spending limits. You will find that there are some areas where you are spending too much money, so you may consider cutting back or watching your spending. Analyze what is working and what isn't working, and then make changes and adjustments as needed.
The most important thing is that you are spending less than what you are earning. As you track your budget you will soon be able to figure out where to cut back on expenses and that extra money can be put in your savings account!
Matt has been an online writer for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in health, finance, and product reviews, you can also check out his latest website on Canon VIXIA HF200 which reviews and lists the best Canon HF200 Camcorder for your home video recording needs.
Filed under Home Insurance by on May 5th, 2010. Comment. 
If you are like most Americans, you have learned the truth about personal finances. It is not only just about what you make, but also what you spend. For someone who is making $1,500 a month and can not find a better paying job, and also does not have the time to get a second job, you need to look at a budget. Many people think of a budget as a simple way of spending less by way of buying less. While this is a key part of it, there is much more than that.
To truly start a budget you have to take a look at your monthly expenses. For most people this would include things like; car and home loans, credit card, cell phone, internet, and television bills, electric and water, car and health insurance and food expenses to name a few. For bills like your car and health insurance and cell phone, internet, and television, you can lower them by taking the time to find a better deal. It may be with the company you are currently with meaning they may offer you a better deal, or it could be with one of their competitors. For bills like electric, water and food, simply use less of them, don't waste, and eat at home more than at restaurants.
Finally for bills like car and home loans as well as credit cards, you can look into loan modification. We have seen interest rates go down to record lows, but they are about to come back up. Chances are if you have a debt owed it is because you made the purchase a few years ago and have a higher interest rate. Loan modification can lower those rates and other factors of your bills, saving you hundreds of dollars a month. Your best chance to get approval from a bank or lender when you try to modify is to simply go with a loan modification company. These companies have a great success rate, and will save you time and money.
By David George
http://houstonloanmod.com
Filed under Home Insurance by on May 5th, 2010. Comment.
Marks & Spencer have this week announced a move into the energy market as part of a new deal with Scottish & Southern Energy. Apparently, customers will now be able to buy gas and electricity in their shops and on their web site and earn rewards for signing up, renewing contracts and, perhaps more importantly, for cutting consumption.
M&S claim that their energy prices will be competitive, at around £1,196 per year for an average user, and the same as existing SSE customers who buy dual fuel by direct debit.
M&S Energy customers will get a £15 voucher if they reduce their annual energy usage by 10% and another £10 voucher if they opt for paperless billing. Those who switch to M&S Energy 'Dual-fuel' also receive a £20 M&S voucher on sign-up and an extra £10 voucher for each year they remain with M&S Energy. The deal will be launched on October 27th on the M&S web site and available through its network of stores by the end of November.
Some would say that the energy market is already complicated enough without major high street retailers jumping on the bandwagon. There's a plethora of suppliers to choose from and each has its own bewildering array of promotional offers, incentives and discounts to baffle new and existing customers with. However, M&S have a world-class brand, a reputation for quality and a loyal and trusting customer base to leverage and I suppose selling energy is no worse an idea than Tesco selling car insurance or John Lewis selling holidays.
But where does this relentless drive for diversification end? M&S cars? M&S mobile phones? M&S stair lifts? The retailer is already selling electrical goods and furniture and this new energy deal is part of an ongoing initiative to expand into a wider range of goods and services.
Clearly, we are living through troubled times and high street retailers are under increasing pressure to innovate their way out of the current downturn in sales and the inevitable slump in profits. M&S also face increasingly difficult trading conditions and they have fallen from grace with the City since those heady days of £7.50p per share valuations just last year. Their current share price of £2 speaks volumes about investors' opinions on their short to medium-term prospects!
Utility companies tend to have much more of a charmed, 'dull-but-steady' existence, fairing well through the tougher trading periods but, conversely, fairly unexciting through the good times too. SSE, one of the 'big six' domestic energy suppliers with around 8.5 million customers, will want to use this new link with M&S to reach additional customers and grow its market share. M&S will be happy to have the new revenue stream to hopefully prop up losses in some of its more 'sensitive' product lines.
So, it may have all the makings of being a sensible deal for both parties but what about the poor consumer? Will M&S customers be getting a great deal? Would they be better off than buying direct from energy suppliers in the open market? Only time will tell but I doubt it.
I don't think a few vouchers could ever persuade me to stick with just one energy supplier purely because M&S choose to recommend them. However much I like M&S as a purveyor of good food, boxer shorts and socks, I won't be fooled into trusting them to supply my every need! There are far too many deals and incentives in the energy market that make it more lucrative to regularly switch my supplier to save money. The vouchers simply don't compensate for the potential savings lost. However, if M&S ever get the confidence to guarantee the best prices in the marketplace and they promise to take the leg work out of constantly switching supplier for me... then I might just reconsider.
Article by Alan Potts
Gas Boiler reviews and ALL you need to know about home heating, gas boilers and home energy supply from BUYability Limited CEO: Alan Potts.
Filed under Home Insurance by on Apr 26th, 2010. Comment.