Why You Should Budget

        Budgeting is important because each person should be able to know what is going on with their money.  You might be doing well without a budget but you will do better if you have a budget.  Having a budget gives you the ability to save more money, track what you actually spend your money on, and gives you the peace of mind that you are on track with your financial goals.

          You might still disagree with having a budget and usually you don't start a budget unless something is going wrong with your finances.  But the important thing is you are reading this and that means that you will change the way you managing your money.

There are a couple of myths or what I would say are myths that I have heard from teaching budgeting classes or just talking to people individually about budgeting.

1. I can't afford to budget right now or my income is inconsistent so it would be too hard
              If you are saying this you needed to start yesterday!  I remember saying this when we should have been budgeting.  When I went back and looked at what we had spent on food for the month it was $100 more then what we had been spending with a budget.  My point is that when you budget you spend your money in a more effective way and are able to focus on spending it on more important things. 

            When people say this to me I am thinking you either have a lot of bills or you aren't making enough money.  First if you have a lot of bills budgeting will help you to pay off your bills sooner, again because you are spending your money in a more effective way.  Second if you income is inconsistent it can be more stressful to budget but just because your income is inconsistent doesn't mean that your bills are.  You still have to buy food and get the things necessary to live.  If you had a budget you would make sure you aren't overspending and you would know exactly how much you need to bring in to cover the needs of your family.

2. I will have to give something up.
           You really don't.  Usually if you aren't budgeting you are spending money on things you wish you wouldn't have.  If you were to budget you might actually have more money to spend on the things that you love.

           Sometimes this is not the case and you have to give up something so you can pay off a bill or live within your means but the great thing is you are making your budget so you get to decide what you keep and get rid of. 

3. I am too old.
           You are never too old to start to budget.  It is really important that you have good control of your fiances when you are older because you might be on a fixed income and aren't able to make more money.  Another reason to be wise with your money is because illness can come and you might need the funds to help pay doctors bills.

4.  I am too busy or it takes too much time.
           It does take time to budget but it is time well spent.  Don't cheat yourself by not budgeting because you feel like it takes too much time.  You will feel at peace once it is done and the stress of financial worries will be gone. 

          Budgeting gives you the freedom to not live paycheck to paycheck it doesn't matter how much you make.  It will help you to build wealth so you are able to achieve your financial goals in life.  You don't have to be one of those people that are really tight with their money if you budget.  You just have to be the kind of person that feels it is important to have control over your money and not let your money control over you.