Ever wonder where all your money is going? Ever wish you had more cash to spend on things you need or want? It can be tough to keep track of all of your spending for any given month. However, tracking is the best way to find ways to save. It’s easy to forget about some expenses that you may have forgotten about, like an unused club membership or magazine subscription. Or maybe an unnecessary expense has become a routine, like drive-thru coffee or take-out lunch. Our credit counseling advice is to have a budget.
Use our credit counseling resources for your budget.
Budgeting is a great way to identify what you are really spending your money on each month. Doing so will help you identify areas of your budget where you can spend less and use that money to pay off debts. Now and then, you should also audit your budget.
Start with ACCC’s Household Budgeting Worksheet. You can download an interactive excel file here. Using this worksheet, you can write down everything you spend, whether it’s recurring monthly bills like rent and utilities, or less frequent expenses like hair cuts and clothes shopping.
If you want to take it a step further and really dig into your spending habits, download ACCC’s Daily Expense Tracker. (interactive excel file here). This will help you account for every dollar you spend on a daily basis, and will ultimately paint a clear picture of your spending habits and how you can save money.
Use these worksheets to audit your budget, and you will most likely find areas where you can spend less, save more, and put more money towards bills, debts, or paying off credit cards.
If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.
