Young adults and college students often find it tempting to spend great sums of money on fun things. Do the right thing and escape debt by properly managing your finances.
To understand how you spend money, keep a journal listing every cent you spend for one week. A notebook that is easily set aside or lost is probably not the best method, as it is often soon forgotten. If you list your expenses in a noticeable area, such as on a marker board, this may help. By seeing it frequently, it will stay fresh in your mind.
Always have an envelope with you. Tuck receipts and any cards you pick up from businesses you like into the envelope. Keeping up with these items can help you to maintain more accurate financial records. It’s useful to have your receipts if you ever see double charges for a purchase on your credit card statement.
Credit Cards
Avoid getting into further debt to save your finances. Some debt is normal, such as education loans and mortgages, but try your best to avoid bad debt such as credit cards. Loans and credit cards charge interest and fees; therefore, it is important to try not to borrow unless it is absolutely necessary.
Stay out of debt as much as you can. Some debt is normal, such as education loans and mortgages, but try your best to avoid bad debt such as credit cards. Learning to live within your means insures a life free of high interest rates and massive debt.
Buying a car or house are usually the biggest purchases most people make. Payments on your home and car are almost certain to make up the majority of each month’s budget expenses. Pay them off quicker by adding an extra payment each year or using your tax refunds to pay down the balance.
Credit Score
Remember to do your taxes at a time that is right for your personal situation. If you’re expecting to get a refund, you’ll want to file your return as early as possible in order to get access to your money. It is a better idea to file near April 15th if there is a chance the you owe the government money in taxes.
You can see a decrease in your credit score as you are making repairs. Don’t panic if you notice a slight drop in your score. If you continue to maintain financial responsibility, your credit score will improve over time.
Having the proper health insurance policy is crucial in protecting your personal finances. It is inevitable that you will get sick some time or another. That is the reason it is important that you have good health insurance. Before you know it, a stay in the hospital, as well as doctor’s bills, can reach tens of thousands of dollars. This can ruin you financially if you don’t possess insurance.
Keep a handle on personal financial issues by charting a specific course for the coming years. Having a concrete plan is effective as a motivational tool, because it gives you a specific reason to work harder or curtail other forms of spending.
It may be more beneficial for you to use credit cards than debit. When you get a credit card, make daily purchases, such as groceries or gas. By purchasing items with your card, you will usually gain rewards, such as cash or maybe even frequent flier points.
Craft your own home-made Christmas gifts to save a good amount of money. This will help you avoid spending significant amounts of money during Christmas. By being a little creative you will save money, and have extra cash in your pocket for other things.
Do you use air travel a lot? If so, it may pay off to sign up with an airline’s frequent flier program. Most credit card companies will offer incentives and rewards toward free airfare. Many hotels will take frequent flier miles in exchange for free or low-cost rooms.
Make sure to save for a rainy day by creating a savings account for emergencies. You can use it to pay for a goal, like saving for college, or paying off your credit card.
The balances on your credit cards affect your FICO score. A higher balance translates to a lower score. When you pay the balance down the score will begin to climb. Try to keep the balance at 20% or less than the maximum credit allowed.
Get a no-fee checking account. Check out the banks in your community, and don’t forget to also look for free accounts available online or through credit unions.
Maintain your income tax records on a daily basis so that you don’t have to locate or compile financial documentation at the last minute. Keep all your receipts and other tax documents organized in the same place throughout the year, and you will be ready when tax time rolls around.
Savings Account
If you find yourself using a bank debit card, consider switching to a credit card. Using a credit card on topical purchases like gas and food, as compared to big purchases is a good idea. Most often, credit card companies provide rewards for the use of their cards so you may see cash back on these items.
To make saving money as easy as possible, consider having money automatically transferred from your checking account into a savings account. At first it may seem uncomfortable, but soon it will become another monthly bill and the savings account will grow.
It is always a good idea to make sure not to spend more money than you earn. People who spend everything they make, or consistently spend more than they make and borrow to make up for it, will never accumulate wealth, because they always spend it as soon as they have it. To help save money, develop a budget and stick to it.
Don’t get too many student loans unless you know you are going to be able to pay them back. Private schools can be very costly to pay off.
Avoid becoming overwhelmed with debt and a larger pile of unpaid bills each month, by creating a budget and shopping list that makes the most of your income each month. If you use the tips you read here, you won’t have to deal with debt collection calls or being constantly in debt.
