Welcome to our new subscribers this month! You are now a part of a growing group of people receiving tailored solutions to common budgeting concerns. Feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you wish. Your email address will not be used for any other purposes.
 

Enjoy!
Ericka Young

Manage your resources daily

Many people believe that they are too busy to take the time to get organized financially. Even though they want to see positive financial change in their lives and know it is a priority, most people still don’t sit down and write a plan of action. They will spend more time reacting to financial disasters and mistakes than planning for what will definitely come. Let’s face it.  The air conditioner will need maintenance.  Your children always need shoes.  And let it be no surprise that your auto license and tags must be renewed every year.  Begin to anticipate those everyday natural occurrences by having a plan ahead of time.  No it doesn’t need to be set in stone or disrupt everyone in the household for it to be a success, but it should encompass the way you want your household finances to flow.  It is stressful for bills to come due and you don’t know where the money is coming from.  Your budget is your plan.

It doesn’t have to be difficult to begin a plan that works just for you. There are specific techniques and/or tools you can use to gain control over your money rather than allowing it to control you.  The first step is a reality check.  One of the services that I provide is the purchase and setup of software packages that give you a running balance of your accounts.  My clients are thrilled to finally have something in place that will record their spending habits historically so they can more accurately plan for the future.  This tool is simple to use and easy to become addicted to.  If you don’t currently keep a checkbook, want to manage your resources better, and own a computer this tool might be for you.  By using a software tool you can:

•    Manage all your financial accounts in one place

•    Participate in online banking

•    Track spending for long periods of time without adding it up yourself

•    Monitor and schedule bills

•    Pull multiple reports and account registers

•    And much more!

The response from using these tools is amazing!  Every person now using this tool is addicted to controlling their money!  Once you get started using it for some reason you can’t stop!  What many didn’t know initially is that a small investment of time and resources pays many times over in reduced financial stress. Sometimes just knowing what you have is freeing because ignorance when it comes to your finances is not bliss!

Do What The Wealthy Do

Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. and William D. Danko, Ph.D. have done a fantastic job of researching, analyzing, and presenting the habits of today’s American millionaires in their book “The Millionaire Next Door.”  One of the questions they ask the reader is: “Do you know how much your family spends each year for food, clothing, and shelter?”  According to their research, about two-thirds of the millionaires surveyed could answer yes to this question.  Some may wonder why anyone with that kind of money would care about how much they spent in any given category.  I believe it is because they understood and controlled their spending before they became millionaires.  Tabulating, or adding up all expenses, helps control consumption.  Often you will see areas of improvement instantly when it is laid out in front of you.  You will make better spending decisions because you know where all your income goes.  You will be able to easily see if your financial goals are being met.  The software tools I mentioned above will help you tabulate your spending and that simple step could help you become a millionaire too!  Get hooked today!

June 2006

“Small things are small things but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing.”
 - Hudson Taylor

From now on anyone who refers a new client to Tailor-Made Budgets will receive a $20 gas card.  So get the word out and enjoy a free gas on me!

If you would like to continue receiving e-newsletters like these each month, be sure to check out my website and sign up.

Anyone who signs up for these services in June will receive the software for free with the setup and tutorial purchase.  If you already have a financial software tool on your computer I will come and get you started with a setup and tutorial at a discounted rate. 

Call now to reserve your setup session!