In the previous post, I wrote about the importance of having an emergency fund. Today, we’ll go over a few of the quick tips I give my consulting clients when I teach them personal finance basics regarding starting their emergency fund.
I’ll discuss budgeting, goal setting, and automating your emergency fund.
Budgeting – The first step in starting your emergency fund is to have a well planned out budget that not only gives you an idea of where you are financially, but lets you know how much money you’ll be allocating towards your budget. Budgeting is one of the first lessons in personal finance basics, and when you do a good one, you’ll find areas you can cut back so that you can put it towards your emergency fund or other financial goals. You can search Google for budget tools, or look at the resource link to our budget spreadsheet.
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The single greatest way to reduce transportation costs.
We all need to drive. Well, most of us do. I know that in order to get to work I need a vehicle. This does not mean I need a luxury sports car or a big SUV. My ego doesn’t need to be enlarged nor does my bank account need to be reduced. There is a difference between buying a car for travel and buying a car for status. Your finances can be impacted a great deal depending on why you bought your vehicle.
I will save you the time of reading the entire article to find out the single greatest way to reduce your transportation costs, so here it is: Downsize. I know you may be a little disappointed to hear that this is the big tip but I like simple, and simple usually saves you money. Consider the following example:
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Quick Phone / Internet / Cable Saving Tips
Are You Sure This Is The Best Deal? – In general, when I’m spending some time to work through my budget and making sure I’m doing my best to manage my money, I make a little time to go over my phone bill. It includes Internet and cell phones (I’ve completely cut out cable). Do not be afraid to get on the phone with your phone company. Check with your provider for promotions. Ask your provider if they have any new plans that could save you money on long distance, or basic service packages. Don’t be afraid to shop around and let your provider know about any deals their competitor is offering you. Because we made this call, we saved 10% a month just by bundling our three services. That’s $20 a month. Here are three quick tips.
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