How to Start a Home Budget

Following a monthly budget will help you separate your bills, and know what you will need to pay with each pay period during the month. By keeping your bills organized in this manner, you will be better equipped to save money. And instead of living pay check to pay check, you will be able to divide your bills evenly, so that awful mess can be avoided.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 subject notebook or use your spreadsheet program on your computer
• Your bills!!!!

1. Start by putting your bills in order, according to the time of the month that they are due...
2. Put the bills into two sections, first of the month, and end of the month. By doing this, you will be able to split the bills evenly, so you are not paying more at one time of the month then the other.
3. In your notebook or spreadsheet computer program, label the two days of the month that you are going to pay your bills at the top. Then you want to go down the sheet of paper or spread sheet with each bill that you will pay each part of the month.
4. Finally, put the total of monthly bills at the end of each date. After that, you will put how much is left after you pay your monthly bills.
5. Your last step will be making a section after the total and what you have left for savings. I wouldn't put all of the money left into savings; consider a minimum of 40%.

Tips & Warnings

• Most places will allow you to move your monthly due date. With that thought in mind, if you need to call a few companies to make the monthly bills divided equally, it is possible.
• As months go on, you might get more bills, or lose some bills, so all of this can always be adjusted. I would suggest doing a 3-6 month budget at a time.