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How to budget but still have what you want.

Do you LOVE budgeting? Most people don’t. Sometimes budgeting is like trying to find a parking spot at Costco on a Saturday morning! It’s downright hard! 

If you listed out the top things you want to do this weekend, I bet budgeting probably didn’t even make your top twenty. Yet, creating a budget can be a vital part of your wellbeing emotionally and physically.

But did you know, you can learn how to budget and still have what you want in life?

Knowing you have the money to cover your expenses keeps your life stress-free. And I don’t know about you, but I like to eliminate stress from my life.

Nonetheless, creating a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have what you want. In fact it if you use my methods, you will actually have more of what you want and stop feeling deprived. 

Your new financial life will be like a three-year-old opening up his first toy on Christmas. Like a child, you will wake up each day with excitement and jubilation because you are living the life you have always wanted and everything you do with YOUR money is intentional.

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Are you thinking about retirement? Even if you haven’t saved as much as you need, there are ways to boost your retirement. If you need help in this area, you are going to love this guest post from 
Danielle Kunkle Roberts from her personal blog entitled Danielle K Roberts.

Learn How to Boost Your Savings Before Retirement

Did you know that the average retiree only has around $50,000 saved once they retire? For most people, that will cover less than two years of expenses.

And living prices are skyrocketing. So much so, that even a million dollars doesn’t automatically mean that you will retire comfortably.

However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare for your future. It also doesn’t mean that all hope is lost for you. Here are 3 ways to boost your savings for retirement, that won’t feel like a chore.

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Is emotional spending taking over your finances?

Are your emotions ruining your budget? Yes, your feelings could be digging you in deep. 

Many people use shopping as a form of therapy. And yes, we have all heard jokes floating around the office about some ‘good old” retail therapy.

Having a bad day at work? Then why not break out your plastic therapist and start shopping?

The only problem is, most of the time you end up feeling good for a while, but eventually buyers remorse sets in. You try to justify your spending but in the end, you feel awful after your glorious shopping spree. And what’s worse is when you later open up your HUGE credit card bill and see the amount of debt you owe.

It is time to stop the emotional shopping sprees and start taking control of your financial situation.

Emotional spending is a bad habit, but it is a habit that can be broken. And you are not alone. Learn how to stop your bad spending habits below:

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Use the 30-Day rule to help you save more and stop spending frivolously.

Have you ever saw something in a store or online and just had to have it? Something caught your eye and that adrenaline rush started making your heart thump!

You quickly threw it in your cart or hit the “buy button” only to feel buyers remorse after a few minutes pass? Perhaps you even return the item when it arrives which is a hassle and sometimes cost you more money for shipping.

This is where the 30-day rule comes in. 

The 30-day rule is a tool to help you decide if you really want or need an item you want to buy. By using the 30-rule you will delay buying and avoid buyers remorse. It also leaves impulse buys as a thing of the past.

According to a Pew study, 46% of Americans spend more than they make. Yes, that is almost half the country.

It is not uncommon to have a spending problem and advertising and celebrities glorify a glitzy lifestyle, leaving many people feeling like they need to keep up.

Not to mention, Americans have a habit of lifestyle creep. This means that if you get a raise, instead of saving it, you spend more on lifestyle and do not necessarily have more money in the bank.

Yet, if you use the 30-day rule, you can do yourself a favor and make a spending decision with a clear mind instead of making an impulse buy. Do you know how to use the 30-day rule? This post will help you out.

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Are student loans driving you into debt? Find out how Alexis from FITnancial paid off her loans the day she graduated and use her tips to become debt-free.

With over $1.56 trillion in total U.S. student loan debt and the average monthly student loan payment amounting to $393, I knew I had to do my best to lower my student loans and pay them off when I could. I did not want to be paying off student loans for the next 20 years.

Before I applied to college years ago, I had little to no idea how financial aid and student loans worked. All I knew was that it was common for people to graduate with tens of thousands in student loan debt. And knowing that little fact made me start a journey of learning as much as possible about money.

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