Money is always said to be the root of all evil, but it’s only the case if it is improperly managed.
It’s unfortunate that most educational establishments before age eighteen don’t teach budgeting, even though it’s one of the biggest issues for adults today.
Learning how to manage an income, balance a check book and pay bills is a necessity to be able to survive out of the family home.
Renting your own place after getting your first job is a huge smack in the face when it comes to learning that it wasn’t a laundry fairy that did your clothes for you.
It’s also a big learning curve, managing the monthly expenses and ensuring you have a disposable income left at the end of the month. Some may find that they have a lot of month at the end of their money and this is why it is so important to have a household budget.
The question isn’t whether you need to curb all the fun budget you have, but how to use the money you earn to make it go further. With these tips, you can learn what you need to budget for every month and how you can ensure that your income stretches as far as it needs to go.
Rent/Mortgage
Probably the most important part of your monthly outgoings, this is going to keep the roof over your head. If you rent a room, some bills may be included in this cost but if not, you need to plan your outgoings before you move out of the family home to make sure you can afford it.
Only rent or buy what you can afford. The gorgeous apartment with the riverside views may look beautiful but it won’t look so lovely after a few months and you find you cannot stretch to afford it anymore.
Utilities
While you can’t negotiate on your rent most of the time, you can on your utilities. Shopping around for your energy and using comparison sites like Selectra mean you are making the best, most cost-effective decision for your home.
The best thing you can do is shop around and get the best prices for your bills, which then frees up money for other, more pleasurable areas in life!
Internet/Phone
Often coming as a package, you can do similar here as for utilities. Shop around and get the best mobile phone deal for you and while you’re at it, check out the broadband options.
Lots of companies have introductory offers which can be very attractive but always look beyond these to what you’re signing up to and for how long.
Food
If you are only shopping for yourself, you’ll find that your supermarket bills need not be too high. Make a meal plan for the evenings and bring a packed lunch to work with you to curb those random costs through the day which seem to add up in the month.
The smarter you are with your household budgeting, the more cash you have left over for time spent with friends and time on holiday. Your money management matters!
