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Everyone uses GPS for navigation, but few use a budget to guide their income and expenses. The budget is often overlooked, yet it is a proven tool. Just like GPS, mistakes are allowed; what matters is to correct them and refocus on the destination.

Preparing a personal budget is an essential step to managing your expenses effectively.

Steps to Create Your Budget

  • Record Your Income: Start by noting your net monthly income (what is deposited into your account). This is the first and easiest step! Use your bank statement and check the deposit column to ensure you don’t miss anything. Don’t forget about quarterly credits.
  • List Your Expenses: Make a list of your expenses, including rent, groceries, insurance, car costs, loans, credit card payments, childcare, and tuition, to name the most common ones.
  • Define Your Financial Goal: Before focusing on savings, your primary financial goal should be to balance income and expenses—in other words, to have enough income to cover your needs.
  • Create a Plan: Based on your income, expenses, and goals, create a plan to reduce expenses. During consultations, many people are surprised by how much they spend on morning coffee and toast bought at drive-thrus. Contactless payments are your number one enemy. Controlling small amounts like $5 to $10 can be challenging, but at the end of the month, these often add up to $200 or more.
  • Implement Tracking Mechanisms: Use budgeting tools or apps to track your expenses and compare actual spending with your budget. This will help you stay within your budget limits.
  • Allocate Spending: For example, withdraw $60 per week in cash so you won’t use your phone to pay for coffee or other treats. It will be easier to monitor your spending this way.
  • Review and Adjust: Your budget is not set in stone. Mistakes and occasional lapses are normal. The most important thing is awareness and correcting course before it’s too late and you find yourself lost!
  • Start with the Worst: Groceries: Your parents always told you, don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry. But in our opinion, the worst is shopping without a plan. Yes, a plan. Create a menu for each day of the week. If you stick to the list of required items, you’ll start off on the right foot and eventually be able to reduce your debt by making larger payments with the money saved.

If you’ve drafted your first budget but feel it’s impossible to have enough income to cover everything, it’s the right time to consult us. We are Licensed Insolvency Trustees, but we do more than just bankruptcies. We help people reflect and provide them with tools to regain control of their budget and finances.

Before resorting to online micro-loans or high-interest borrowing, book an appointment and take the steps to get back on track.

Don’t be one of those who constantly say, ‘If I had known, I would have come to see you earlier.’ Take the first step, and we’ll handle the rest.

 

How to Reach the Ginsberg Gingras Team:

By phone: (800)567-1905
Website: ginsberg-gingras.com/en
Schedule an appointment online: https://ginsberg-gingras.com/en/book-an-appointment/

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