The BudgeX Blog

It is common knowledge that when you need to stop an unforeseen incident from getting out of hand, you head to its source.  It would be pointless to attempt to stop a breach in a dam by filling buckets with the water and throwing it back over the other side.  You stop the water from spraying everywhere by plugging the hole it’s coming out of.  Makes sense, right?

Imagine if that water was your money, with the dam as your bank account.  For some of you it might not be too hard to imagine.  We’ve seen how poor financial management can lead to bad decisions, so why don’t we take the time to manage our own finances?  Even President Obama is revising his budget for tough economic times ahead.  If you can control how you spend your money, I promise you will end up better off financially, and creating a budget is the first place to start.

Getting Started with Creating a Budget

The first thing you need to understand is that creating a budget is no longer a cumbersome task.  There are several tools available to help you, and I highly recommend using BudgeX Personal Budgeting Spreadsheets as your all-in-one solution.  It allows you to create a personalized budget from scratch in less than 15 minutes, and has built-in functionality for expense tracking.  After you create a budget by whatever means you choose, it’s just a matter of staying conscious of your spending.  Check out the resources at the end of this post for additional tips for better budgeting.

What Makes Budget Creation Such a Turn-Off?

There are several reasons why someone might not have a budget for themselves: it’s too complicated, it takes too long, they don’t know where to start, they’re too lazy, etc.  I am here to tell you that these excuses no longer apply!  Not having a budget is like driving a car with a broken fuel gauge: you never know when you’re going to run out of gas.  And don’t just take my word / simile for it; look at what other professionals say about budgeting:

• Complete Idiots Guide to Overcoming Procrastination: Having a budget is like having a routine for your regular chores and errands.  It should be liberating, not constricting.
• Financial Planning experts at about.com: Not having a budget is like sailing a boat into the fog without radar.
• Experts at ezinearticles.com: Not having a budget is like trying to drive from Los Angeles to New York without a map.

So take the time to make one of your own.  It literally takes 15 minutes (assuming you use BudgeX), and will help you save hundreds to thousands of dollars by giving you the power to confidently manage your finances.  Here is the link to the BudgeX personal budgeting software one more time.

Resources:

• CNN.com’s 10 tips to maintaining your budget
• MSN.com’s tips for how to build your first budget

And your BudgeX Bargain: 2 Free Pay-Per-View movies for Dish Network Customers.  Enjoy!