Make My Budget Work
Posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Once you’ve made a start and organised a budget the toughest part is to stick to it. And you have to stick to it for more than a couple of weeks.
Think about it – this is one of the greatest challenges you’ll ever have to face. Why? Because you’ll be changing some habits than you never thought you had; plus you’ll also have to row against the tide of ‘peer pressure’.
What habits? I hear you say with some amazement. Well – for starters, there’s the habit of swiping your plastic card without thinking about how much you’ve just spent. Then of course there’s the habit of ‘just buying it anyway’ because you’d ‘really like it as a treat’. Throw in a couple of shopping sprees for things you ‘just want’ rather than really need, add a few take-away meals each week and you have the makings of a short-lived budget.
Apart from the changes in the way you spend your money, you also have to cope with well-meaning family and friends who sabotage your plans to get your finances back in shape. They don’t mean to – but let’s face it – it’s not in their interests for you to blaze a trail in the savings account department. It might make them feel guilty about their own financial shape.
How to stay strong with all these adverse outside influences? One of the first things you can do is to write your savings goal on a piece of paper, and then stick it where you will see it several times every day. This will remind you what you’re working towards, and why you’re doing it.
Get yourself a coach, or mentor; someone to give you encouragement when things get a little tough in the first few weeks. Spend time with positive people, and others who are going the same path as you. Sharing the load is always beneficial.