Everyone has plans for something in the future. No matter what your plans are, it almost seems impossible if you don’t have a plan on how to keep track of your own expenses. There are a few ways of keeping track of your own money with our credit-conscious local federal credit union.
How to Plan Your Budget
One way is by budgeting. Budgeting is the process of creating a plan to spend your money. Creating this plan allows you to determine in advance whether you will have enough money to do things you need to do or would like to do. Budgeting is, to put it simply, balancing your expenses with your income.
A budget creates financial stability, it can:
- Help you forecast of income and expenditure
- Become a tool for decision making
- Allows you to monitor necessary expenses.
VFCU has been providing banking services for decades, and can help you with your banking needs! With VFCU you don’t even have to be a member to start saving your money! Saving money in itself is hard when you’re struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and when it comes to you and your money, VFCU can help you with your budgeting. Here are a few steps to get you where you need to be financially, just by budgeting.
DETERMINE YOUR INCOME
This is usually the number of your monthly earnings, and or your total pay after tax deductions. Any amount of money you earn should be taken into account when it comes to your monthly income, whether it’s things like payments, rental income and or child support. Any little bit counts!
DETERMINE YOUR EXPENSES
In order to calculate your total expenses, you’ll need to gather some data. Record everything you spend money on. Consider:
- Create a list of all your expenses each pay period.
- Budget in small inconvenient spending such as coffee runs and eating out.
- Expenses such as mortgage/rent, car payments, insurance, clothing, living expenses, etc., should all be noted.
With VFCU you can manage and keep track of all your finances with their mobile app or online! Keeping track of your finances has never been simpler thanks to VFCU and online services.
CHOOSE YOUR PLAN
Once you have an idea of your spending and income, you’ll need to find out which budget plan is best for you:
- A Zero Budget will take every penny of your income to a specified category such as expenses, debt paid down, and savings. The goal is to end each budget cycle with a zero balance.
- The Envelope System works best with cash. You place each allotment of cash in enveloped, and you can only spend what is used in that envelope.
- The 50/30/20 Plan is a plan that takes 50% of your income to pay for bills, groceries, gas, etc. The next 30% goes towards travel, restaurant meals, or hobbies. The last 20% goes to savings and debt reduction.
Secure your hard-earned money by opening a Savings account with VFCU, because ensuring your money is in a safe place is essential when it comes to budgeting.
ADJUST YOUR HABITS
Creating a budget is to attain control over your finances. So adjusting to this sort of lifestyle can be a little difficult but over time you will get into the routine sooner or later.
LIVE THE PLAN
Your budget is a life plan, so adjusting it accordingly and regularly depending on how your expenses change will benefit you. Getting a loan or putting in extra hours at work may affect your plan, in such cases, you may need to keep track of your expenses.
Your Budget at Our Local Federal Credit Union
Contact VFCU today Let the professionals help provide you with any or all your financial needs. Your finances are very important to you, and your budget is the most powerful tool at your disposal and your future is well worth it!
