Budgeting

Content by Sol Rosales
My husband has really gotten into budgeting over the last handful of months. He has gotten our family on a cash budget, and it has really helped us manage our finances better as a family. I grew up in a fairly wealthy family, and I never worried much about managing money. It was not a skill I needed until after college. At first I did not think using a cash budget was going to work, but it has helped us keep much better track of our spending. We allot a certain amount each month for all of our spending needs, and we simply do not spend more than we allow ourselves for a given month. Using this method we have been able to cut into our credit card debt and are beginning to save for the future. My husband works hard, and I work part-time as a nurse, but we are still a middle-income family. One thing that has helped us figure out how much we are spending every month on energy is to switch to a fixed-rate energy system through http://www.texaselectricityproviders.com/. This allows us to know exactly how much we will be spending every month on energy for our home. We also have switched to less expensive internet and cable providers in an attempt to save money. Probably the single biggest thing we have done to save money is to eat out less. I used to dread cooking, but over the last few months I have actually learned to like it as I become more comfortable in the kitchen. It feels so good to feel control over our finances again.