#Tips - How to manage your finances.
19-12-03 12:00
Taking time to make specific, long - term goals can really pay off when managing your finances. Getting a transparent plan in place will give you more stability when it comes to financial matters. Read on to learn more about tips on management, consolidating debt and understanding your credit report.
- Create a budget.
The first and probably the most important step is to create a budget. Budgeting may seem a little tough at first but it helps us see our financial situation clearly and it pays off in the end.
- Understand your expenses.
Take your receipts and bank statements, add them all up and calculate your expenses. Remember to keep track of all expenses paid in cash as well as on debit/credit cards. This will allow you to see the whole picture, it may even help you see if there are any unnecessary expenses that you can take off your future bills and help you save money in the long term.
- Understand your income.
After figuring out your total expenses, subtract them from your income for the month. Depending on whether you end up with a negative or positive number this will determine what action you should take next. If positive, you could increase your debt payments or monthly savings. If negative, reduce your expenses until it reaches zero or even try to push it so that you end up with a positive number, to get you back on track.
- Consolidate your debt.
Although paying off debt is easier said than done, you must start somewhere. The main thing to do is get it under your control and work on getting rid of it. If you have credit card debts,student loans, etc, look to consolidate them and get the best interest rates possible. This should have the effect of saving you money and stress because you will reduce the number of monthly payments you need to arrange to make,depending on how your creditors view debt consolidation. If you only have one credit card debt and are on a tight budget, try paying at least the minimum amount as soon as you receive the bill or look for a balance transfer card with a lower rate or even an introductory rate free period, (this will mean that a credit search is performed though so please think about this before applying).
- Create an emergency fund.
Emergency funds are an important part of a healthy personal finance plan but it should only be touched in the unfortunate event that you lose your job or an unexpected expense arises.
- Review and understand your credit report.
Credit reports give lenders an impression of how risky you are as a borrower and therefore has a direct impact on your future borrowing ability. It’s important to review it regularly so you can see if there are any mistakes on it that need to be fixed. For example, if you have ever shared a property with another person, your credit reports may still be linked even though you are no longer associated with that person. For more information and access to your own personal report, visit https://www.creditknowledge.co.uk.
