Living in the Confinements of a Household Budget
Oh, how sad it is to have one, but the reality is that when it comes to running a household, most of us have a budget of some kind we have to stick to, sort of. No budget is unbreakable because there will always be variances in the finances and in expenses as well and sometimes adjustments have to be made. The best way to achieve a bigger budget is to make fewer bills. Even if a larger income has developed, that is not always a reason to add new expenses. This would be missing a great opportunity to save money for things that are important.
When you are the primary homemaker, it is usually you that is required to do most of the shopping whatever it might be. It can be groceries, clothing, home furnishings, or a number of other things. When your budget is small, you have to be very careful about spending on little luxuries that you could easily do without. The temptation to splurge on this little thing or that little thing can be so tempting. It might be something for yourself, the kids, the house, or even the family pet. Now, this is not to say that you can never buy anything that is not budgeted in, because that would be just unrealistic, but you do need to use a common sense approach to any purchases that you do not have in the budget.
The first question you need to ask yourself is it is something that is really needed. For example, if you already have two or three different cleaners for your kitchen and bathroom that you have not used up yet, do you have to try the new one that is supposed to be so great right now? Wait until you use up the ones you have first and then try the new product. It might seem insignificant at the moment, but these small purchases add up and makes money disappear.
Another example of when it might be a good idea to give in to temptation is if you find sneakers on sale in the shoe department and your 6 year old is in desperate need of some. Take advantage of a great bargain when you can if it is something that is going to have to be purchased anyway. Shopping must be done with common sense. If you are too lax with your money, you will always be coming up short, but if you do not learn to take advantage of great deals, you could end up spending more in the long run.
Always shop for things that are on sale whether it is food, clothes, or anything you are responsible for buying for the home or family. Dollar bills might not be gold in the sense that it is yellow, but it is the same thing. You have to treat your budget money like it is precious, especially if you do not have a lot of it. The more you save today is all the more you will have left over to use later when you might really need it even more.
