6 Personal Budgeting Tips for the New Year

The New Year is a time for new beginnings, and your personal budgeting habits should be the first thing to change for the better. Maybe you made some poor financial decisions last year or you just didn’t have a budget to follow at all. Either way, it’s certainly not too late to start a new budget. The best way to make sound financial decisions is to establish a spending and savings plan, or better budgeting tips.

A budget’s goal is to ensure you have money for the things you have to pay for, without going into debt. Same day cash advances can help you along if you fall behind, but a these budgeting tips will really help you manage your financials for long-term stability.

1. Set specific goalsmoney

Know your financial limitations to better allocate funds for your budget. Saving money starts with planning how and where you spend it. This helps you to set realistic goals, such as “I want to spend at least $3,000 on a new car this year.” If you set unrealistic goals, you may abandon them altogether or fall into a pattern of bad spending.

2. Make budgeting and savings a prioritysavings

If you don’t treat your planned savings as part of the budget, you’ll have a much harder time committing to your plan. Every time you are paid and you’re allocating money for your monthly expenses, consider your savings goals as a bill in both importance and priority. You can always make adjustments as needed, but it really is important to make your savings—whatever they may be—a top priority for a successful budget.

3. Start an emergency savingsemergency fund meme

There’s no way to prepare completely for a surprise doctor’s visit or a car accident, but you can at least soften the blow financially by setting up an emergency savings fund. Ideally, this would be designated for short-term savings. Setting a small amount of each paycheck aside solely for incidental expenses can make those rare emergencies more manageable.

4. Eat out fewer times

Enjoying a nice dinner out is nice, but sometimes we make excuses to give into the convenience of fast food and restaurants more often than our bank accounts can handle. Keeping a receipt of all your extra spending can be eye opening once you realize how much money is actually going toward local eateries. Could you be spending less if you bought groceries and cooked for yourself instead? Your wallet may thank you for cutting back—not to mention, cooking for yourself can be so much healthier.dining out

5. Track your budget

The only way to know if your budgeting plan has paid off is to track your spending and savings over a fixed period. You can use budgeting software or consult a financial coach to track your spending. Visually inclined people may benefit from mobile apps or desktop software to do all of their tracking.

Chart showing rising profits

6. Plan for fun

Perhaps the most important part of establishing a functional personal budget is to provision for expenses that fall under the entertainment category. Following a budget doesn’t mean going without, it just means establishing a plan to have money for the things you want to spend money on. Rewarding yourself keeps you invested in the idea of a budget and savings.plan for fun

Don’t think of budgeting as some kind of boring punishment you had to dole out to yourself. Think of it as a proactive effort to make this New Year better than last year. Having money set aside from your bills is great because then you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll be able to pay them from month to month. Do you know what’s better than that? Saving money for that vacation you’ve been wanting to take. A personal budget is how you’ll get there.

About Kelly Stone

Kelly is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management with a Master's Degree in Finance. Kelly has 20+ years experience in the short-term lending industry since 1996, having owned 50 storefronts offering payday loans. As President of Snappy Payday Loans, Kelly has built a large network of lenders and is dedicated to ensuring consumers nationwide can find the loan they are seeking. View More