As a mom of an autistic child, I have often found myself in the role of stay at home mom and secondary income. While I don’t mind this in the slightest, one of the things that I’ve learned to do is to take control of my personal finances.Â
Why You Need to Take Control of Your Personal Finances
How often do you deal with your personal finances? When we really think about it, it may be more often than we realize. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that because personal finances are something that we should be thinking about.
Whether it’s reducing any existing debt we might have, budgeting for the month, or repairing our credit score; personal finance issues arise daily. Face them head on. Don’t be afraid of your personal finances and take control of your personal finances. Here are some easy ways to do just that.
Dealing with our personal finances can be a sore subject. We avoid them like the plague when we know we won’t like what we see. If we like where we are headed, we tend to forget all the work that got us there. Dealing with your finances should always be an ongoing project.
Tip! Make intentional time to review your finances.
How to Take Control Of Your Personal Finances
If you are looking to repair your credit going through a credit repair agency might not be a bad idea. Often times they offer the opportunity to buy something like a flat screen TV in exchange for weekly payments. In this way your credit is slowly restored and you end up with something nice.
Never be shortsighted when buying something with credit, if you hope to control your finances. Regardless if you’re buying a car, a home, or just a television set, pay close attention to what the payments are going to be like down the road. Add up the interest and figure out how much you’re paying in total. Be aware of the total implications.
A higher education can ensure that you get a better position in personal finance. Census data shows that people who have a bachelor’s degree can earn nearly double the money that someone with just a diploma earns. Even though there are costs to go to college, in the end it will pay for itself and more.
Try to make as many purchases as you can in cash and avoid using your credit card. Many credit card companies charge ridiculous fees that are just going to cost you more in the long run. Only use your credit card for emergencies or big purchases that you can’t pay for with cash.
Think about getting rid of your landline. If you’re like most people you don’t even use your “regular” phoneline to make the bulk of your telephone calls. If you don’t need the landline, get rid of it. This will keep money in your pocket and chances are you won’t even miss the landline.
Staying as responsible as possible, is a key trait in maintaining a solid bank account. When you have a checking account, make sure that you never take more than you have. This can lead to overdraft fees, which can add up over time and have an impact on your overall balance.
Baby sitting can be a way to earn money that allows you to stay in a comfortable environment the whole time. You must have a good image for people to trust you with their home and more importantly, their children. However, if you do a good job, you can get recommended to others and further your personal finances.
Use any credit cards that you intend to keep. Credit card issuers can and do shut down or decrease credit lines for accounts that are not profitable. However, while it is best to use each credit card regularly, you should still pay them off in full every month to avoid having to pay any interest. Obviously, you need to have a budget which allows for a monthly credit card payment, and you have to stick to it.
Have more than one bank account. You have many things that you need your money for, including your daily expenses, long term savings and any investments. You should have a different bank account for each purpose. This creates order in your financial life and it makes it easier to get an idea of how your finances are doing overall.
One of the things that you can do in order to maintain a good personal financial standing is to have good medical insurance. If you become sick, ill or injured the medical bills associated with these have the capacity to ruin you financially. It is important to plan for these things.
A good personal finance tip is to keep an eye on your credit score and make sure it’s always in good standing. Using a credit card when you don’t have enough money in your account can damage your credit score. Having a good credit score can make a huge difference.
Our finances need to be dealt with on a regular basis in order for them to stay on the track that you set for them. Keeping a close eye on how you are using your money will help things stay smooth and easy. Incorporate some of these tricks into your next financial review.
How do you take control of your personal finances?
Kori
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