How to Budget Your Money

Transcription

1 How to Budget Your Money The Arc of North Carolina Housing Resource Services 1

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3 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Step 1: Think About What is Important for You 2 Step 2: Separate Needs and Wants 4 Step 3: List All Income 6 Step 4: List All Expenses 8 Step 5: Match Income and Expenses 10 Step 6: Look for Ways to Save Money 12 Step 7: Make a Budget 14 Step 8: Keep Track of your Money 16 Step 9: Review Your Budget 18 Step 10: Take the Yes or No Quiz 19 Resources for Financial Assistance 20 The Arc Housing Coordinators 21 References 22 3

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5 Introduction Money can be fun and exciting but it can also be hard and frustrating. The information and activities in this booklet will help you manage your money better. You will learn about income and expenses, how to create a budget and how to save for things that are important to you. You may want to make extra copies of the worksheets so you can do them again and make changes as needed. What is a Budget? A budget is a plan for saving and spending your money. It shows how much money you have coming in (income), how much is going out (expenses), and how you might save some money. Budgeting shows you how much money you have helps you make decisions about the money you spend helps you save money and plan for the future simplifies and increases financial independence 1

6 Step 1: Think About What is Important for You A good place to start when making a budget is to think about what is important for you. What do you want to be able to do with your money? What do you want to work toward? You may have several things to work toward. You maybe be able do some things in a few months, but others could take much longer. Some examples: Having enough money to pay your own bills Paying all of your bills on time Saving money Giving money to charity or other organizations Taking a vacation Getting a better apartment or buying a house Buying a car Buying personal items 2

7 Activity 1: List What is Important for You? Write down specific things or activities you would like to use your money for. 3

8 Step 2: Separate Needs and Wants Needs are things we require or must have in order to live. Examples of needs: Housing Clothing Food Water Medicine Wants are extras that make our lives more comfortable and enjoyable but are not necessary. Examples of wants: Big screen TV Designer clothes Toys & video games Eating out Going to the movies 4

9 Activity 2: List Your Needs & Your Wants Write down things you need in the first column and things you want in the second column. What do I Need? What do I Want? 5

10 Step 3: List All Income Income is the money that comes into your household. This money could come from: Paycheck Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Money you take out of savings Money from family members and friends (if regular) EXAMPLE: Susie works part-time and earns $250 month from her job. She also receives a Social Security check each month for $500. In addition, her parents give her $50 to help with groceries. When you add these up, her total income is $800 per month. Where my money comes from Amount per month Paycheck Social Security Income $250 $500 Financial help from family and friends $50 Total Income: (add up all the numbers) $800 6

11 Activity 3: List All Income Write down all of the money you earn or receive each month in the table below. Add up all the numbers to get your total income. Month Year Where my money comes from Amount per month Paycheck Social Security Income Financial help from family and friends Other (specify) Other (specify) Other (specify) Total Income: (add up all the numbers) 7

12 Step 4: List All Expenses Expenses are the money you spend each month. Expenses could include: Rent or mortgage Water and sewer Electricity and/or gas Telephone & internet Cable TV Food (including eating out) Clothes and shoes Personal items Hair cuts Car payments, gas, insurance & repairs Credit card payments Cigarettes and alcohol Medicine Pets Entertainment/fun EXAMPLE: Susie rents her own apartment so each month she must pay her rent and utilities. She also has other expenses like groceries, bus tickets and doing fun things like eating out and going to the movies. Her total expenses for the month are $950. Expenses Amount per month Rent/Mortgage $400 Electricity $100 Telephone/Internet $75 Cable/Television $75 Food (groceries) $150 Eating out $100 Entertainment/Recreation $25 Transportation Bus tickets $25 Total Expenses $950 8

13 Activity 4: List Expenses Write down all of the money you spend each month in the table below. Some of these will be the same each month but others may change. Add up all the numbers to get your total expenses. Expenses Rent/Mortgage Amount per month Water/Sewer Electricity & Gas Telephone/Internet Cable/Television Food (groceries) Eating out Personal items Entertainment/Recreation Transportation Other (specify) Other (specify) Other (specify) Other (specify) Total Expenses (add up all the numbers) 9

14 Step 5: Match Income and Expenses Now it is time to see how you well you are doing with your money. Do you have money left over each month? Are you spending more money than you earn each month? If you have money left over great job! If you came up short, you can look for ways you could increase your income or decrease your expenses or both. EXAMPLE: Susie has $800 coming in each month (income), but she spends $950 each month (expenses). The minus sign means she spent more money than she has, and she runs out of money at the end of each month! Cost saving ideas on the following pages can help Susie get back on track. Matching Income & Expenses Write down total monthly income (from Activity 3 on page 9) $800 Write down total monthly expenses (from Activity 4 on page 11) $950 Subtract expenses from income & write amount here -$150 10

15 Activity 5: Match Income and Expenses Write in your total monthly income and your total monthly expenses. Subtract your expenses from your income and write down the total in the last box. This number will be positive if you have money left over and will be negative if you are spending more than you earn each month. Matching Income & Expenses Write down total monthly income (from Activity 3 on page 7) Write down total monthly expenses (from Activity 4 on page 9) Subtract expenses from income & write amount here The next steps will help you see where you can save money, and then create a budget or plan for saving and spending money each month. 11

16 Step 6: Look for Ways to Save Money Adjust thermostat when leaving the house or sleeping Make a shopping list and buy only the items on the list Shop at discount stores Buy generic items instead of name-brand Use coupons and look for sales Look for free community events (festivals, concerts, movies) Borrow free books and movies from the library Apply for a free government cell phone Buy only what you need instead of what you want Cook and eat most of your meals at home Avoid borrowing money from family and friends Use cash instead of credit cards Get other quotes for car insurance 12

17 Activity 6: List Ways You Might Be Able to Save Money Write down some specific ways you might be able to save money, for example using coupons for groceries or turning off the lights when you leave a room. 13

18 Step 7: Make a Budget We have reviewed your income, expenses and now we need to make a budget. A budget is a plan for saving and spending your money. The totals for income and expenses must match or your expenses must be less than your income. EXAMPLE: Susie spent too much money each month. She has found ways to save money and has made a budget on how she plans to spend her money. Notice that her total income and total expenses are both $800. Planned Income Paycheck $250 SSI $500 Family $50 TOTAL $800 Planned Expenses 1. Rent $ Electricity $80 3. Phone/internet $50 4. Cable $50 5. Groceries $ Bus tickets $25 7. Eating out $25 8. Savings $20 TOTAL $800 14

19 Activity 7: Make a Budget Start with writing down your income. Then write all of the things you plan to spend money on. The total of your expenses and your income should match or your expenses must be less than your income. Planned Income TOTAL Planned Expenses TOTAL 15

20 Step 8: Keep Track of Your Money It is important to keep track of your money each month so you can budget correctly. You will need to write down: Date Item Income Expenses Amount paid/received Use a plastic bag or envelope to keep all receipts. EXAMPLE: Susie has started to keep track of her income and expenses. Each time she spends or receives money she writes it down and puts the receipt in a plastic bag or envelope. Use a plus sign (+) for income and a minus sign (-) for expenses. Date Item Amount 7/1/2010 SSI check +$500 7/3/2010 Rent -$400 7/10/10 Fast food -$4.65 7/12/10 Movie ticket -$8.50 7/15/10 Paycheck +$ /15/10 Groceries -$

21 Activity 8: Keep Track of Your Money Each time you spend or receive money write it down on this worksheet. Use a plus sign (+) for income and a minus sign (-) for expenses. Save all your receipts in a plastic bag. Month Year Date Item Amount 17

22 Step 9: Review Your Budget Each week, or month, review all the worksheets to see what is working and what is not. You may want to ask a trusted family member, friend, or staff person to help you with this. Did you remember to write down the money you are spending? Are you saving all your receipts? Are you following your budget? Do you need to make changes? Are you getting closer to your budget goals? REMEMBER Don t be afraid to ask for help if you spend too much. Budgeting is an on-going process. You move from one step to the next over and over again. Don t give up on your budget. If you make a mistake, try again next time! Make a budget (page 15) Write down all the money you receive on the tracking form (page 17) Write down all the money you spend on the tracking form (page 17) & save your receipts Start Again Make any needed changes to your budget on page 15 Compare your tracking sheet with your budget on page 15 18

23 Step 10: Take the Yes or No Quiz Questions Yes No 1. Do you know what the word budget means? 2. Do you know where your money comes from? 3. Do you know how to create a budget? 4. Do you know what you have spent your money on by the end of the month? 5. Do you know who to ask for help with your budget? 19

24 Resources for Financial Assistance Department of Social Services Food stamps; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Low-income Energy Assistance Program; Crisis Intervention Program Community resources like food banks, community action agencies and faith-based programs The United Way (for local resource information) Utility companies for possible payment plans Prescription assistance programs VITA tax preparation sites for free help filing taxes and collecting tax refunds For more suggestions: A Closer Look at Housing Choices: A Housing Guide for People with Developmental Disabilities is available on The Arc of North Carolina s website Make sure that you receive the most for your money by checking your credit report to make sure that it does not have wrong information about your credit history. To order a free credit report: Call: (877) Log on to: Write: Annual Credit Report Request Service PO Box Atlanta, GA

25 For more information, contact The Arc of NC s Housing Resource Coordinators Freda Taylor S. Piedmont/Western Region ftaylor@arcnc.org Nicole Kiefer Assistant Director of Housing Resources & Central Region nkiefer@arcnc.org Joanne Cain Eastern Region jcain@arcnc.org Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Buncombe Burke Caldwell Cabarrus Catawba Cherokee Clay Cleveland Davidson Gaston Graham Haywood Harnett Hoke Henderson Jackson Lee Lincoln Macon Madison McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Polk Randolph Richmond Rowan Rutherford Swain Stanly Transylvania Union Watauga Wilkes Yancey Alamance Caswell Chatham Davie Durham Forsyth Franklin Granville Guilford Halifax Iredell Johnston Orange Person Rockingham Stokes Surry Vance Wake Warren Yadkin Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Camden Chowan Currituck Columbus Carteret Craven Cumberland Dare Duplin Edgecombe Gates Greene Hertford Hyde Jones Lenoir Martin Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Pitt Robeson Sampson Scotland Tyrell Washington Wayne Wilson 21

26 References National Endowment for Financial Education & The Arc of The United States (2001). Make the Most of Your Money! Denver, CO: National Endowment for Financial Education. Stouffer, Tere (2008). Everything Personal Finance in your 20s & 30s (2nd ed.). Avon, MA: Adams Media. Stouffer, Tere (2008). The Everything Budgeting Book (2nd ed.). Avon, MA: Adams Media. 22