I wish I had enough money for a car, a house and heck why not a giant aquarium in my mansion...but I don't live in that fantasy reality. So right now I'm saving up for school so then maybe I can get a good paying job and eventually a house. In the mean time I have realized that I am not as good as saving money as I had originally thought. Luckily, I realized it is a skill that can be learned. I want to share what I have learned these past few months as I have got my act together and started saving up for school. I hope this helps you too.

1. Pay off your debt first.

All of it. Even the dollar you owe the library for that one time you returned a book late.

2. Check your credit report.

You may have some hidden subscriptions on there you forgot about. Don't let them get away with that.

3. Avoid co-signing.

You don't want to be held responsible for someone else's carelessness.

4. Only use 30 percent or less of your total available credit.

I am a hypocrite for this one...but this is something that I will take seriously and start doing. I promise.

5. Choose a credit card with a rewards program.

If I told you that you could magically get $130 when you need it most, would you believe me? I didn't know my credit card had a rewards program. Then when I finally noticed it I had $130 to help me pay off my debt. However, since then I have not been able to redeem anything at all.

6. Make your budget.

This is important, if you don't visualize how much you have you not be able to prioritize for the things you really want to spend your money on. You are also way more likely to spend more than you have without a budget plan.

There is an example of a very simple budget plan at the bottom of this article.

7. Try another type of budgeting.

Here are a few other options to check out:

The envelope system

The 50/30/20 Rule

Snowball budget

Digital budgeting

Reverse budgeting

8. Keep track of your spending.

Keep your receipts and keep a close eye on your bank app. Look for anything that is not right. Maybe you didn't get a discount that you were suppose to, or you thought something was cheaper then it really was.

9. Make an emergency fund.

Unfortunately this means saving more money. However, your future version of yourself will thank your past self.

10. Don't give your money away.

This one might sound obvious, but I actually have a problem with this. No I don't literally hand out money, but I do buy people coffees and I do buy people small gifts. I really need to stop this.

Bonus Tip: Try the all cash diet.

If you cut your credit card use only cash, it's an amazing way to stay out of debt. It would also keep me from spending money before I actually have it.

Budget Example

Everyone's budget is going to look different and it will for a wide variety of reasons. However, here is an example of what your budget can look like. This budget has been organized into three sections: stuff they have to spend money on, stuff they probably should spend money and stuff they want to spend money on. After that, the rest goes into savings. It's a good start. Take a look and once got the idea go ahead make your own.

Total Income

$1,900—From Work

$280—From Side Gig

$2,180/Monthly Income

Rent and Food

$400 Rent/ $400 Groceries

$100 Phone Bill/ $200 Pills and Medication

$100 Dog Food and Treats

$1,200 Total

Other

$35 Shampoo and Other Essentials/ $20 Hobby

$25 Entertainment/ $10 Cleaning Supplies

$20 Bank Fees and Unexpected Fees

$20 Coffee Shop/ $30 Friday's Subway Lunch

$20 Toilet Paper/$5 Carwash

$185 Total

Fun

$30 Dollar Store/ $15 Ali Express/ $10 Pokemon Go

$150 Large Item Purchase/ $100 Free Spend

$30 Apartment Stuff/ $20 Dog Toys

$355 Total

Savings

$140 Dog Vet Bills/ $200 Save For School/ $100 Buffer

$440 Total

Thank you!

Thank you for reading my article. If you would like to read more, please feel free to look at the other articles I have posted on this website. I have all kinds of political and personal blog posts.

Please donate!

Er...ummm...this is awkward. Especially for an article about making budgets...So it turns out writing doesn't bring in the cash. There is a donate option at the bottom of this page and every dollar counts. No pressure...just thought I would mention. Thank you either way!

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