We all have to have a budget. It doesn’t matter if you are making a mortgage payment, paying your rent, or making purchases.
That budget document is the key to your security. If you don’t know how much you have in your budget, you cannot possibly plan around your expenses. This is why keeping a budget is so important, because it is the one thing that you can plan ahead for, so you can see how you’re going to get by each month. In general, it’s best to stay within a budget that you can handle.
Most of us have a budget that we are comfortable with, and that is the budget you should stick to. If you find yourself going over your budget, it means that things are not going to be as planned and you deserve a little extra attention or compassion.
This means that each month you should budget for your day to day expenses. Don’t have a lot of money? No problem! Make a list of all of your needs, budget for each and figure out what you can afford. If you don’t know where you can get a certain thing, budget for it and make a list of what you can afford.
The budget is a document that outlines what you are going to spend your money on in your daily life. It is your guide to know where you can get what you need. For example, if you are going to buy a new car, a good budget will list all of the things you need to budget money for, such as the vehicle, the cost, the insurance, the gas, the toll, the mileage, the dealer, the insurance, etc.
One of the biggest mistakes new homeowners make is neglecting or not budgeting for their living expenses. Because they are so new to a new home, the homeowner thinks that all of the costs are just going to go away. But they can be replaced by their mortgage payment and utilities. It’s important to budget for your food, your gas, your cell phone, your internet, your internet service, your phone bill, and your cable bill and repair costs.
While this seems like a trivial matter, budgeting is a critical way to ensure that your home runs smoothly. Because you may have a problem with your water heater, your water heater may need to be serviced, your pool needs to be cleaned, your pool deck may need to be repaired, your hot tub needs to be refinished, your garage may need to be fixed, etc.
In the world of home repair, there’s a lot of misinformation about the type of services you can get without a big price tag. Often it’s because the estimates are a little bit too high. Our website is about helping you understand a few simple concepts about estimating your home repair needs. That way you can make sure you’re not wasting your money and you can come up with a great estimate.
It’s a shame to see that people are so hesitant to come up with an estimate. Because estimates are a big deal, they should be based on actual labor costs, not just what they think the work should cost. If you feel like you have a little extra time to spare, you can always just hire someone to do it for you.
