The state of the economy is forcing many families to take a long, hard, look at their wallets. Focusing on spending and saving may feel frustrating, but taking good care of your personal finances will only benefit you in the long run. Here are some great personal finance tips to help get you started.
The key to total happiness and success is money management. You must invest your capital and protect your profits. Allocating profits into capital to build a larger foundation for growth is acceptable, however, managing those profits wisely allows you to see return from your investments. Set a rule for what profits you keep and what profits go into capital.
To assure you always have money when you need it, create an emergency fund. It is best to have between three and six months income in a savings account that you can easily access. Doing this will assure you have money set aside in times when you absolutely need it.
If you can cut at least one point, refinance your current home mortgage. The refinancing costs are considerable, but it will be worth it if you can lower your interest rate by at least one percent. Refinancing your home mortgage will lower the overall interest you pay on your mortgage.
Being a smart shopper can enable one to catch onto money pits that can often lurk in store aisles or on the shelves. An example can be found in many pet stores where animal specific products will often consist of the same ingredients despite the animal pictured on the label. Finding things such as this will prevent one from buying more than is needed.
If a person has an interest in animals or already has a large amount of pets, they can turn that interest into a source of personal finances. By doing presentations at parties, informational presentations, or even providing tours at one’s home can produce financial benefits to supplement the costs of the animals and more.
Heating can be the largest household expense during the winter months. Some heating types are more expensive than others. If you live in an area where the winter is cold, don’t rent a place with electric heating. As electricity is the most expensive energy source, stay away from rentals with any kind of electric heating system.
When saving money, most experts agree that it’s best to have at least 3 months’ salary put away for an emergency. This can help you cover all kinds of disasters like car accidents, medical bills, driving tickets, a fire, expensive equipment like a computer or refrigerator needing to be replaced, or any other expensive unfortunate event.
Look for ways to cut corners to save money in any way possible. Instead of purchasing items from the grocery each week, try to look for cheaper alternatives elsewhere. If an item is on sale, choose it over food that is at the regular price.
A good personal finance tip is to keep an eye on your credit score and make sure it’s always in good standing. Using a credit card when you don’t have enough money in your account can damage your credit score. Having a good credit score can make a huge difference.
Use the cheapest paper plates you can buy. You’ll save money and a few environmental resources! Place them in paper plate holders or, in a pinch, on top of your regular dishes. You’ll still have the benefit of easy cleanup but you will have to pay a lot less over time for a product that always ends up in the trash anyway.
Examine your finances as if you were a bank. This means you have to take the time to see exactly where all your money is going. You want to always predict higher costs for things that you are predicting to spend money on, such as fluctuating bills like water or electricity. Then once you calculate your budget and have balanced things out make sure you put any money you have left into your savings.
Drink water from the sink. Tap water is free, as opposed to the money you pay for bottled water, juices and sodas. This can help you save a lot of money on groceries. Just make sure that your local water is safe to drink, this is particularly important if you have well water.
Ask family and friends what they are doing. This is not so much so that you can do what they are doing, but to give you ideas about options that might be available that you haven’t heard of. Finding out what other people are doing is a good way to find what will work best for you.
While no one wants to cut back on their spending, this is a great opportunity to develop healthy spending habits. Even when your financial situation improves, these tips will help you take care of your money and keep your finances stable. It’s tough to change the way you deal with money, but it’s worth the extra effort.
