Budget your way into the black

Budget your way into the black

$2.2 trillion. That’s how much Australian households owe right now, according to the latest ABS stats.ⁱ Household liabilities grew by $1.2 billion in the last quarter alone. Real household debt per person has risen steadily by around 2 per cent per year, and now sits at around $79,000 per person. i

Sound scary? The good news is, there are ways you and your family can buck this trend and ensure your finances stay out of the red and in the black. The key is good old fashioned budgeting.

Why a budget is important

Budgeting is simply the most straightforward, proactive way to ensure you will always have enough money for the things you need whilst allowing you to put a little aside for the things at the top of your wish list. That’s the practical side of it. A budget can also help you reduce financial stress, improve your family relationships, redefine your personal values, and provide a good example for your kids or grand kids.

 

 

 

 

How to set up a budget

The first step is to do an audit of what you’re spending. You may also need to do a round-up of what you’re earning, if you have several income streams. Start by gathering as much evidence as possible; utility bills, receipts, bank statements etc. Make a tally of your outgoings. Be as accurate as you can; where you don’t have a record to substantiate a line item, try not to underestimate it.

Then, compare your income to your outgoings. If you spend more than you earn, you’ve got work to do. If you’ve got a surplus, that’s a great start, but there’s always room for improvement.

The second step is setting goals. Choosing well defined goals – beyond just ‘save more’ or ‘get rich’ – is important for your long-term budgeting success. Try setting at least a few short, mid and long term goals. For example, in the short term, you might aim to reduce your spend on clothing by $100 a month. In the long term, you could aim to build up an emergency fund equivalent to six months’ household income.

Why budgets fail

If all this sounds familiar to you, chances are you’ve tried and not succeeded at budgeting in the past. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ‘bad with numbers’ or lacking discipline. There are several common reasons why budgets don’t stick. Many failed budgets had no defined goals. Others were too restrictive, allowing no room for spending on things like meals out or entertainment; anyone who’s tried to completely cut ‘fun’ spending knows how unrealistic this is. Many budgets also ‘break’ after a short time because they fail to account for unexpected emergency expenses, from vet bills to urgent travel.

Once you’re aware of why your last budget didn’t succeed, you can start to build a better one.

The right technology can help make your budget more accurate, realistic, effective, and easy to stick to. You don’t even have to create a spreadsheet from scratch, or use complicated software on your PC. You can even carry a budgeting solution in your pocket with a handy smartphone app.

Need help?

 

 

 

 

 

Source

i ABS, 5232.0 – Australian National Accounts: Finance and Wealth, Mar 2016

ii ABS, 4102.0 – Australian Social Trends, 2014 (Final): Trends in Household Debt

IBAMCY Group Pty Ltd trading as Cedar Wealth Money Managers is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Sentry Financial Services Pty. Ltd. ABN 30 113 531 034 AFSL 286786.
General advice warning: It is important for you to note that all information on this website is general in nature and is not to be construed in any way as advice. Cedar Wealth Money Managers has not taken into account any particular persons objectives, financial situation or needs. Investors should, before acting on this information, consider the appropriateness of this information having regard to their personal objectives, financial situation or needs. We recommend investors obtain financial advice specific to their situation before making any financial investment or insurance decision.