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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Making a Family Budget

By Samantha Asher

Do you have a family? Do you struggle with money? Do you spend money whenever you feel like it? If you said yes to all of these, you have a problem. You need to set up a budget to get your family's finances on track and get out of debt if you have any.

There are all kinds of debts. Some common debts of families include personal loans, auto loans, credit card debt, and any other types of debt or financing.

You need to find a way to either increase your income, decrease your spending, or do a combination of the two in order to have extra income to pay off your debt. Once you've paid off your debt, you can start funneling more of your excess income into a retirement account.

By making a family budget, you can adjust your spending to start saving. I call it a family budget because your whole family needs to cooperate to make it work. You and your spouse need to be on the same page.

If you make a budget and your spouse continues to spend more than you planned, your hard work will go to waste. Likewise, if you continue handing cash to your kids whenever they ask, not only will you be wasting more money, but your kids will never learn to work for their money. Make them get a job and start earning their money.

It's important that you pay off your debt as soon as possible because your debt will keep growing and earning interest. You can and should open up a 401K or 403B, if you work for the government or nonprofit, and start contributing to it. I recommend contributing a small amount now in order to take advantage of time and compounding, and then increase your contribution substantially once you've paid off your debt.

If you feel like you don't spend a lot but are still living paycheck to paycheck, you need to take a serious look at how you're living. You don't have to be going into debt and be a shopaholic to be living above your means. It's the small things that can save you money.

Cut back wherever you can. Shop carefully and look for discounts wherever you can. Cut out any bills you don't need. For example, one cell phone for the entire family is more than enough. Do you really need cable? Do your errands all in one shot to save money.

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