Monday, February 2, 2009

Frugal Lifestyle for a Life Free From Debt

Many people are living beyond their means and credit is a solution for those expenses that cannot be afforded. A credit card can be an ally or a foe. An ally for those times when you really need it and a foe for those times when you don’t need it but you think you do. It is very easy to purchase items on every whim but it is hard to keep those impulses at bay when the purchases made six months ago are still being paid. This is where people with this kind of lifestyle and thinking eventually are in debt until they retire or worse bankrupt.

That is why it is important to change financial attitude early on. There are many benefits in understanding the limitations and capabilities of your finances and one of them is peace of mind. Having peace of mind will reap a lot of benefits in the long run. Having peace of mind can have an effect in work performance and may eventually lead to promotion and more financial stability. Having peace of mind will also improve personal relationship which is something money can’t buy.

Dramatic change in lifestyle is painstakingly hard and no one says it is the other way around. As long as there is determination to change and the perseverance to do what is necessary no one will go the wrong way.

First thing to do is to understand your finances. Understanding your finances will give awareness on the limitations and capabilities your income has to offer. Next is allotting strict budget on expenses. Lastly, follow the budget allotted. It sounds so simple but the hard part of it all is the ability to maintain this state of mind of following the budget and not losing track of it.
By : Mat Isaac
Understanding finances mean monitoring how much is being spent on grocery, clothing, entertainment, utilities, transportation, insurance, services, etc. Note down every single penny on everything spent for a month. Then categorize expenses accordingly and find out the total spent on each category. Find out how much is the daily spent for all the expenses. If the daily spend is more than the daily income then there is serious budgeting to do. Find out if there are expenses that are extravagant and lessen the budget on those expenses for next month.

For the first few months of following the budget always check the budget list to keep track of it and to check if the expenses so far are still within in.

For those who are already in debt, consider debt consolidation. In debt consolidation, paying off debt is easy because of the convenience of paying multiple debts into single payment every month. This will make budgeting much easier for those who want to practice a frugal life.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/debt-consolidation-articles/frugal-lifestyle-for-a-life-free-from-debt-617279.html Sphere: Related Content

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