If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

Starting Fresh- January Budget Example

Happy New Year! It’s usually exciting to start a new year. Maybe this is the year you start budgeting and taking control of your finances. To help you on this journey, take a look at our budgeting series which follows a couple month-to-month. In the January budget example, we will review last month’s spending and set a plan for the upcoming month.

Our debt counselors always recommend budgeting to keep finances organized.

Our debt counselors always recommend budgeting to keep finances organized.

December Budget Review

Fortunately for our couple, the new year has started which means they are both gainfully employed. And even more good news- last month’s budget went very well! Here is a quick review of what happened in December.

  • Gas was under by $20.
  • Groceries went over by $50.
  • The landlord gave them $100 off their rent for Christmas.

All in all, December was a good month for the couple following their budget. With their landlord being extra generous, they came in with a little extra cash in their pockets. This will be helpful for partner #2. They need some fancier clothes for the job. So January budget will have an increase in the clothing line.

Rundown of the January Budget Example

As a result of the new job starting and the wonderful report from last month, here is a look at the January budget example.

(The bolded items have been adjusted since last month.)

INCOME

  • Salary 1: $2,700
  • Salary 2: $2,100
  • Extra Income from Landlord: $70

TOTAL= $4,870

MONTHLY LIVING EXPENSES

  • Groceries: $600 (back to normal)
  • Household Items: $50 (back to normal)
  • Credit Card Debt Payment: $450 (increase)
  • Clothing: $170 
  • Cellphones (2 phones): $100
  • Internet & Cable: $75
  • Rent: $1,100
  • Electric: $110 (increase for colder weather)
  • Gas: $60
  • Trash: $10
  • Auto Maintenance: $40
  • Auto Insurance (2 cars): $175
  • Health & Dental Insurance: $350
  • Renter’s Insurance: $10
  • Entertainment: $50 (back to normal)
  • Netflix/Hulu: $20
  • Gym Membership: $60
  • Student Loan Payment: $425
  • Auto Loan Payment: $175
  • Vacation Fund: $0
  • Pet Care: $75
  • Savings & Investments: $695 (increase)
  • TOTAL: -$4,800

Fortunately, partner #2 landed a job with a slight salary bump. This will help save and eliminating credit card debt. They decided to increase the credit card payment this month. Additionally, they will not save for vacation in January. However, they will add a large chunk of change to their savings account- nearly $700.

If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today. 

ABOUT AUTHOR / Michelle

Michelle is a regular contributor to Talking Cents. She has taken several financial courses on debt management and is ready to circulate what she has learned from them as well as lessons from her own life- family to DIY projects to student loan debt.

View all author posts →

creditU

Your Ultimate Money Management App

Meet CreditU, the ultimate one-stop debt and financial management app! See your full financial overview, including debts, income, expenses, and savings.

CreditU Apple App Store
Dev Tool:

Request: blog/starting-fresh-january-budget-example
Matched Rewrite Rule: blog/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: post_type=post&name=starting-fresh-january-budget-example
Loaded Template: single.php