Why You Can’t Stick to a Budget
It’s easy to read articles and blogs about how to budget and become financially stable, but if you don’t go through with them or keep telling yourself that you will get to it “later” it’s time to get your money in order. If you find yourself using one of the excuses below, try to read the advice that follows and start organising your life financially.
The first mistake that many people make is that they create a budget that is simply too unrealistic. Go through your bank accounts and bills and see where you can even just save $20 a month and slowly make your way to higher amounts. If you try to save too much all at once you will just end up giving up and going back to your old ways. You also have to make sure that you are enthusiastic about wanting to make a change and stick to a budget. A problem with starting a budget is that you feel like you have to do it instead of wanting to do it. Sometimes you have to realise what having a budget will do for you and how pleased you will be when you feel less stressed about money.
Another major mistake that people make when they are comprising a budget is thinking that it’s too complicated and don’t bother with it at all. Yes, there are some complicated budgets out there that I don’t even understand, however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t budgets out there that can be tailored to your needs. Not all budgets have to be complicated, do the research and find a budget that you can handle and change it to match exactly what you want. Having said that, you have to start writing your plans down. An error that people make sometimes is thinking that they can remember all their finances and will stick to the budget that they thought about doing. When you write yours plans and goals down, they act as motivation to follow through with them or else you just end up disappointing yourself.
The last couple of problems with trying to stick to your budget is spending habits that you have developed over time. If you have a spending problem, it will almost be impossible to stick to a budget, you have to cut down spending in order to balance your budget out. Do your best to only spend the money you need to and as you continue with your budget, you will have some extra money for other purchases. The issue with sticking to a budget is giving it time to develop, you can’t just give up after a month because you haven’t seen amazing results. Take the time and effort to let your budget mature according to your own personal expenses and income with enough time that you can see a difference.
Disclaimer: The above information is general in nature and not intended to be financial advice. You should consider seeking professional advice before following any suggestions in this blog/website.