Budgeting Made Easier

Money, it seems very simple when its viewed from the principle of spending or not spending. Having the room to spend or not is basically how I used to manage my finances. I don't think I ever had terrible spending habits, except for using my credit cards as an extension of my income. When the credit cards popped, the burst effect in my pocket didn't leave room for much. Regardless of how much I was making, I always had the same problem, I'd run out of funds before time. I knew I had to revise my money strategy.

In the most basic terms, budgeting means to set a monetary limit for spending. Setting this limit wasn't exactly my problem. My problem was to make it last evenly until the next payday, without having to eat ramen noodles, or oatmeal for dinner. So I created mini category budgets within my budget, and by sticking to them I found that, little by little, I'd be able do most things I like to do, as well as end debt.

Everybody's story is different; we all come from different places, and earn different numbers. That's why, using an online budgeting tool like Mint.com is a great place to start. With Mint, you can see all your bank accounts, credit cards, 401(k), investment accounts, etc., and it gives you an overview of you financial state. It let's you set up different budgets and will send you notifications if you're close or past the limit. Also, Mint tracks your money spending with basic doughnut charts, checks your spending trends and encourages you to set up a spending plan. Another useful feature is the goal setter, with this tool, anything that you have in mind might become easier to reach.

This sophisticated financial tool is available for free. Also available as a mobile app, it enables you to get your budget together.