Balancing Finances

As we get caught up in our day to day lives, we often forget that most everything we do in a day costs money. For instance, there's the gas and tolls to drive to work, the money we used for lunch that day, and of course the car payment for the car we drove and cell phone payment for the phone we used. Then, we get home, and there's the bills that accumulate there, too. So how are we supposed to keep up with all the bills when we're already so incredibly busy? It's very similar to how we balance everything else in our lives, but we definitely have to make finances a priority.

First of all, make sure you write down your expenses each month. It's a lot like scheduling in everything you have to do in your planner. The reason for this is so you don't forget anything, which is very easy to do - especially if you're a very busy person. For instance, there was one month where I completely forgot about my car insurance payment because I was overwhelmed with tests, papers, and on top of that I was working a 50 hour work week. Luckily, I was signed up for automatic withdrawal so it just took it from my account and thankfully I had just been paid so I had the money in there. However, this could have been a really bad situation if I wasn't enrolled in automatic withdrawal or, even worse, if they tried to withdraw and overdrew my bank account. So make sure to write down what you have to pay and when either on a calendar in your house or right in your planner where you know you'll be looking every day.


If you do have a bill you forgot about, don't freak out. Most of them have grace periods, so call customer service and explain what happened. If worse comes to worse (for example, the electricity gets turned off,) just pay your bill as soon as you can and remember to write it down for next month. If it's one or two times, it is usually understandable - just don't make a habit of it.

In addition to writing down all your payments, don't forget to keep track of your bank account somehow. Now, I know a lot of us depend on online banking (myself included,) but a backup tracker is essential. One of the reasons is because pending transactions can sometimes show up wrong on online banking systems. For example, you might get $40.00 in gas but it shows up as $1.00 until it completely goes through. This can definitely get you into trouble. Another reason to have a backup way to track your purchases is that sometimes places will charge you twice and sometimes the charge won't even show up until days after you've made the purchase - so you're not even thinking about it. Yes, online banking is great for double checking everything is going through correctly, but don't let it be your only version of tracking your purchases.


If you're anything like me, you probably work a lot but also have a lot of bills that the money goes to. If that's the case, make sure you take into consideration any days you miss at work. For instance, if you're sick for a couple days, remember that you might have to go a few nights without going out because you'll need to use the money you'll be getting for bills. It's important to keep track of how much income you have coming in as opposed to what's going out.


In addition, don't lean too much on credit cards. Remember that the purpose of them is to build your credit and use strategically or in emergencies. The last thing you want to do is depend on it like a crutch and then find yourself trying to catch up on an ever increasing credit card bill. This will only add to the stress I'm sure you already have with a busy lifestyle. Credit cards are great - just be wary.






Don't let finances bring you down. Unfortunately, money is a huge source of stress for many if not all of us. Instead of letting it drive you crazy, remember to only focus on what you can control. In other words, work on getting the hours you need to pay your bills and pay off your credit cards and loans with whatever you can afford. Don't freak out if it's not all paid off at the end of the month, you're not alone in that. Just make sure to sacrifice what you need to in order to reach your financial goals next month. I can't even count how many times I've had to give up going out or doing something I really wanted to get caught up financially. It's not easy and you'll be upset, but it'll be worth it when you no longer have debt hanging over your head. Just remember to not let it get you down and opt for less expensive activities to get you through (like crafting or watching movies on TV.)

Not all of us have this luxury lol

In all actuality, it really depends on the person on how to balance out your finances. Try these steps and see if that helps you get things under control. Remember that, sadly, finances have to take a huge priority in our lives. Therefore, do what you have to do in order to set them straight. If you're having more trouble than what's discussed here, consider calling your billing companies and trying to work out a different payment plan or see a financial advisor. Hopefully you're just having a little trouble finding time to balance and this will help you out! Remember, you can't do everything (we're not superman, after all!) But you can handle a lot more than you think. So take a deep breath and tackle your finances for next month!