| It's not easy planning and budgeting for the average | | | | because it can work things out for us, it can answer |
| household these days, so I'd like to show you how you | | | | our questions and really help us apply much more |
| can do it easily by applying a modern take on a very | | | | effective planning and budgeting strategies and it's |
| simple and easy to use age old method that will allow | | | | called a spreadsheet. Sound scary? It's not. |
| you to have every bill covered before it has even | | | | Using a very simple but effective spreadsheet means |
| arrived and still have money to play with at the end of | | | | you will never need to write a list of expenses ever |
| the day. | | | | again. You simply fill in the blanks on your spreadsheet |
| It's simple, money comes in, and money goes out. It | | | | with all of your own information, then watch as |
| doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that what | | | | instantly the spreadsheet does the rest. A |
| comes in needs to be more than what goes out. | | | | spreadsheet can tell you how much money is coming |
| What it does take though is an organized, determined | | | | in, when it is coming in, where it is going and when it's |
| W.O.M.A.N (that's you) who is committed to taking | | | | going there. All the calculating is done for you. Change |
| control of her finances and making them work. | | | | one piece of information in a spreadsheet and the |
| It's simply a case of planning ahead; knowing what is | | | | whole sheet will adjust according to that change. As a |
| coming in, what is going out and of course being | | | | result you can play around with different ways of |
| prepared for it. | | | | planning your budget and always know instantly how |
| To do this my Mother and her Mother before her used | | | | that way will affect your overall finances. |
| an old fashioned method of planning and budgeting | | | | Establishing a budget and sticking to it is not always |
| called 'the coffee jar', usually found at the back of a | | | | easy, you need to be determined to take control. Once |
| cupboard or on top of the fridge, and in this coffee jar | | | | you develop the discipline to regularly consult your |
| they would place a certain amount out of each weeks | | | | spreadsheet before making a financial decision, before |
| pay packet to cover future bills. | | | | popping into the shops on payday and seeing a new |
| Fast forward a few years and today barely a soul is | | | | dress, a discounted book, the cutest little baby outfit |
| paid in cash, we have moved on to the digital age with | | | | you have ever seen...an absolutely fabulous pair of |
| pay deposited for us directly into our bank accounts, | | | | shoes, go home, enter it in the spreadsheet, and see |
| and bills paid electronically from these accounts with | | | | how that unplanned purchase will affect everything |
| speed and convenience. No more standing in long | | | | you were planning towards, and who knows, all your |
| queues at the bank or the post office and in theory | | | | discipline could mean a pleasant surprise. By being |
| much more time to do the things we enjoy. | | | | prepared you may find out you really can afford that |
| Likewise there is also a much better, much faster and | | | | fab pair of shoes after all, but only if your spreadsheet |
| more convenient way of budgeting, it works just like | | | | approves it ok. |
| the coffee jar but is much smarter than the coffee jar | | | | |