lilblondegal789
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You have to spend wisely and be responsible with your money. Bills are #1. They MUST be paid so make sure you set aside the money to pay them before anything else. Don't forget about things like gas for your car that is necessary but isn't a specific recurring bill (like rent, utilities, car payment, etc).
You should try your best to save a little from each paycheck. Even if it's just a few bucks it will add up over time and could save you when you really get in a pinch. Pretend it's another bill that must be paid, put it in a savings account and forget about it.
Make smart choices when it comes to things like food. You don't need to spend $7 -$10 to go out to lunch when you could spend $1 - $2 per meal buying groceries and preparing your own meals.
Be realistic with your "play" money. Sometimes you have to choose between going to a movie or buying a new shirt. And sometimes you have to admit you just don't have extra money to spend and you need to find entertainment that is free (watch a movie you own at home instead of going to the theater, have a girls night in instead of going to the mall, play at your local park, etc).
Beware of small purchases that really add up. If you buy coffee every morning, get snacks or drinks from the vending machines at work, grab your meals from a drive thru instead of eating at home... each time it's only a few dollars, but before you know it you've spent $25, $50, $100 or more each month on things you won't even remember!
I'd recommend writing down every penny you spend for a few weeks to see just where your money goes. You may find things you spend money on that could be replaced with a cheaper or even free alternative.
Good luck! |
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renewilliams416
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I use to have money problems and then I started sending myself money orders. I would take half my pay and send it to myself. Then by Monday or Tueaday I knew that I had money coming to me. |
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Tellem
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You HAVE to budget. In America, we are all so sold on the "high life" that many of us live beyond our means. I did for years, and now I'm trying to figure out how to pay back my credit cards.
First, write down all of your monthly bills. I made a spreadsheet on excel with all of my bills, and I put my due dates, the date I paid them, and the amount on there. That ensures I never pay a bill late.
Subtract that from your monthly income. With the remainder, set aside however much you think you spend on gas, food, and other necessities (contact lenses, medication, etc). Basically expenses that are necessary.
Whatever is left after that is your "play money." Ideally, you should take some of that money and put it into savings each month. Budget it out - if you go out, try to get cheap drinks. If you can't afford to go out, don't go out. If you can't afford that dress, don't buy it. If you don't have a lot of money left over for "play" or savings, start looking at bills and where you can cut back. Can you clip coupons to save money at the store? Can you cut back your cell phone plan? Do you really need the expanded cable package with Showtime on demand? Can you cook at home instead of eating out? Just think, in the future when you have money in savings, a good job, and no debt, it will be easy and stress-free to get all the things you want. For right now, try your hardest to live well below your means. |
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floppy paul wall
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You should use a program like Microsoft Money that allows you to put the money that you earn and spend into certain categories. After doing this you can adjust how much you spend or save in a weeks time. Or just write everything down and spend a little less. |
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ping
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budget. and there are two times a year when you get paid every two weeks that you will have three paychecks in a month. so that third one can just be used to your own discretion. or to pay off the bills you owe. |
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PJ
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Pay your bills first. Then party on what is left. If you want to save money, pay your bills first, set aside some for savings, then party on what is left. Going out can be very expensive. You might want to evaluate how often you can afford to go out. There are cheaper ways to have fun. |
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collegenebula
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Open a free account somewhere and just throw 100 in there every week or two and it could be like a backup account. Also curb your spending, which comes naturally once you start hating not having any money. I am the same way, I make 650 take home a week and it all goes out... and I only have something like 1500 in bills a month... but that safety account is a good idea. |
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Colin R
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Spend it wisely.Only on bills.When you go grocery shopping only get what you need! exp:you need butter,milk,eggs,
...Then you come out with milk candy toys,and forgot what you really need! |
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Isabella. ©
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save money spend less shop at walmart. |
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m c
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i am 23 and i also have trouble with my pay check. welcome to the real world, if i knew how hard it would be , i never should have left home, i loved my parents buying everything. but now that I'm grown, life is not as fun. i wish i had a really high paid job, i could be so much happier. but no, I'm in a runt, living paycheck to paycheck, gas station to gas station. life suxs , the world is so hard. i never knew you had to buy happiness. its not fair.
just remember, that somewhere to stay with electric and stuff, is better than that new outfit at the mall.
you have to organize and prioritize. |
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kelcygb
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What i do is only take out a certain amount and that's it for the check.
500.00 take out 250.00 and only spend that tell yourselve that if you use your card you will be over drawn. doing this i saved up 1000 dollars in like 7 months |
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PICK MEEE!
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estimate how much in total all your bills were for last month, then when you get your next paycheck save that much of the estimate from last month!
Anyone can answer mines!
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080814090921AAGgBcF |
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Jen M
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You have lots of answers but, here is mine. Go through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University or at least read his books. He advocates you spending your money at the first of the month on paper by making a budget. Then getting some of your money in cash, like food money, play money and so on. Once the cash is gone you can't go to the bank and get more because that should be your emergency fund and bills.
You are going to have to sacrifice something for financial peace. So, for a while you might have to not go out to eat or go out in general. Once you are caught up you should be able to see how much you can realistically spend to go out and then you have to stay within that amount.
I know it is really hard but, Dave Ramsey's information is really helpful. |
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peace♥lucky
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buy like 2 piggy banks or something. Label one bills and one play. Take 3/4 of your paycheck and put it in bills and 1/4 in play. Try to save up your money in both and you should do well! |
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CHARISSE
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Create and Stick to a BUDGET!!! |
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jcontrols
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You have to forgo 'play',stop spending(except for bills)until you have a small stash saved up. ;-)= |
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SlackPants
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Give your money to a parent or something who you trust and arrange for them to give you installments. I had to resort to that a little while back |
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harlin s
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Without much more information I can only suggest that you learn to control your spending a little better and see what you can do to make more money.
What type of work are you in? See how much you're really worth with your skills. Perhaps another company would pay you more to work for them. If you find however, you are at or near the top, it may make sense to consider another career and doing what it takes to break into it. Just make you pick something you know you will enjoy. Otherwise there's not much of a chance you'll make more money.
That being said, all of the money in the world will not help you keep it. Everyone regardless of income must learn to control spending. If you go out 3 nights a week, may be you can shorten it to 1/2 nights a week. Unless you're a social butterfly, you'll find after a while you may not be missing out on much. What can you afford to cut back on? The very best way to have more money without making more is to get out of debt. Make plans to get out of debt. Dave Ramsey has an excellent website detailing how to do it as painlessly as possible.
Tellem has a great article above though it might help you to save more money. Put aside $1000 (at the very least $500) in to an emergency fund. Spend it only on real emergencies. JenM below mentions Dave Ramsey and he strongly advocates an emergency fund (but not nearly as he advocates getting out of debt). |
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Travel Girl
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each time you get a pay check, set aside a certain amount for fun and for bills. Keep a chart so that you know how much you're spending and how much you have left. Make sure you don't say "oh...it's just one meal" when you're going out because that adds up quickly! Just be aware of how much money you have. Simply don't spend it on unnecessary things. Good luck and hope this helps! |
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Cyn
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I'm thinking you live alone right? Well, better stop stending money like it grows off of a tree and pocket some so that you can pay your bills. And speaking of bills, try to get rid of some of the "un-neccessary" bills. Budget wisely, think of needs instead of wants and you should be FINE! |
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em
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Figure out how much your bills are every month, put half of that amount aside every 2 weeks, then divide the rest of your paycheck by 14 days (if there's anything left). If you need more fun money, get a second job. |
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Seb M
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Put it into an rsp. OR destroy your debit card.
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