Let AFS Help You Live By A Budget
Budgeting is an essential part of your financial life. These budget tools will help you to manage your money. Get started today and call one of our friendly, certified counselors for a personal budget analysis at 1-888-282-5899 or fill out our CONTACT FORM now.
Why Budget? Here Are Eleven Good Reasons:
A budget is a guide that tells you whether you're going in the direction you want to be headed in financially. You may have goals and dreams but if you don't set up guidelines for reaching them and you don't measure your progress, you may end up going so far in the wrong direction you can never make it back. Can you imagine the government or a major corporation operating without a budget? No, and neither should you.
- A budget lets you control your money instead of your money controlling you.
- Making a budget will tell you if you're living within your means. Before the widespread use of credit cards, you could tell if you were living within your means because you had money left over after paying all your bills. The use of credit cards has made this much less obvious. Many people don't realize they're living far beyond their means until they're knee deep in debt.
- Making a budget can help you meet your savings goals. It includes a mechanism for setting aside money for savings and investments.
- Following a realistic budget frees up spare cash so you can use your money on the things that really matter to you instead of frittering it away on things you don't even remember buying.
- Making a budget helps your entire family focus on common goals.
- Making a budget helps you prepare for emergencies or large or unanticipated expenses that might otherwise knock you for a loop financially.
- Making a budget can improve your marriage. A good budget is not just a spending plan; it's a communication tool. Done right, a budget can bring the two of you closer together as you identify and work towards common goals and reduce arguments about money.
- Making a budget reveals areas where you're spending too much money so you can refocus on your most important goals.
- Making a budget can keep you out of debt or help you get out of debt.
- Making a budget actually creates extra money for you to do use on things that matter to you.
- A budget helps you sleep better at night because you don't lie awake worrying about how you're going to make ends meet.
Use our free budget worksheet or interactive budget form to help you stay on top of your finances and start saving for the future, then call us at 1-888-282-5899 for a budget analysis and more tips on budgeting!
» How to Use Your AFS Budget Form
Clip Coupons and Save
Is it worth the effort? Absolutely YES! The reward for clipping coupons is instantaneous. The money you save can be put into savings to meet your long or short term goals. The average American family of four spends approximately $8500 a year for groceries according to the Department of Labor. Grocery coupons encourage consumers to try new products. Used wisely they can save consumers thousands of dollars a year.
Here are some rule you should follow:
- Clip coupons of products you would normally buy
- Take advantage of grocery store savings reward cards - you will trade data for savings in most cases.
- Shop weekly sales advertised in most newspapers.
- Make a shopping list and stick to it.
- Cut back on expensive convenience foods
By following these rules and taking advantage of double or triple rebate offers that many grocery stores offer on manufacturers' coupons you can save thousands of dollars a year. These savings can be put towards seasonal gift giving, a family vacation or savings for retirement to mention but a few.
Take the extra time and the rewards will be significant.
