We’re coming close to the end with our simple reminders to keep your budget and your finances in order.  Check out these final 6 simple tips for your finances.

U - Understand your biggest weaknesses – If you know that you are going to have a hard time resisting the urge to buy that new pair of pumps, then maybe it is best to avoid that store altogether.  If you are trying to decide on a big purchase, for instance, a car, and you know you can’t afford to drive anything over $20,000, don’t tempt yourself by test driving something above that price range.  When it comes to purchases, big or small, do not test your emotions, because more than likely, you will begin to rationalize while this is better than that, or why you should get something now verses saving up for it later.

V - Variety is the spice of life.. and your wallet – When grocery shopping, you may have made your list, and you may have been sticking to it very well.  But let’s say that you were going to get roma tomatoes, but the vine tomatoes are on sale.  Or how about lettuce for salads but the pre-mixed salad bags are on sale (you could save money AND time on this one).  You won’t know if you like something unless you try it, so be open to new experiences.  You never know, a recipe might be better with the replacement.

W - Wait out your purchases – If you want something, and it is a big purchase, you may want to wait out the purchase to see if you still want it in 2-3 months.  Even 2-3 weeks could allow you enough time to determine if it’s really neccesary.  If it’s a smaller purchase, you may still want to wait it out as it could go on sale or get even drop in price.

X - X-amine your goals – Sometimes you will need to revisit your goals, and adjust them according to your current circumstances.  If you realize that a current goal is not attainable with your immediate circumstances, put it on the back burner, and work on the next one.  Then revisit it in the future to see if you can do it.  As you complete goals, create new ones.  Always keep an eye on where things are heading, and you will be able to better stay on track.  Also having your goals in a place that is readily seen on a daily basis will help keep your goals fresh in your mind, and hopefully deter you from anything that may get you off track.

Y - You should always have faith in yourself – You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it.  You should always remember that if you make a decision, work hard at achieving it, you will attain it (even if only eventually).  You have to have faith in yourself, and keep telling yourself positive things (avoiding those ANTs).

Z - Zip up your wallet – don’t spend it just because it’s there – Finally, when it comes to your spending, you should keep track of where you money has gone, and where it needs to go.  Just because there is money in your bank account today does not mean you should buy something.  You may have upcoming bills you need to pay for first.  Or you may even have bills that have not cleared your bank yet.  This is why keeping a budget, and keeping track of your accounts is vital.  Even better is to keep a check register so that you know what bills you have paid even if they have not cleared your bank.

So there you have it.  26 simple things you can do to work on, improve, or keep up with your budget and finances.  Do you have any other tips or tricks that help keep you on track?  Share them with us in the comments below!

Further Reading

• The ABC’s of Budgeting and Finance : K – O (0)
• The ABC’s of Budgeting and Finance : A-E (1)
• Blogger Focus : Always The Planner (0)
• Be Set Up For Coupon Success : Part 3 (2)
• Strong Community Banks Prove Small Is Better (0)

Tags: Bank, Bank account, Budget, Business, Financial Services, Grocery store, home, money

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Budget. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.