Family finance is probably one of the most challenging topics to discuss in the home. The reason could probably be that money is seldom enough and such a sensitive subject. Whether you are recently married or have kids, improving your family finances is probably top of your priority list. As daunting as it might seem, it doesn’t have to be energy-draining, especially if you know the proper steps to take.
This blog post from PayStubsNow will provide you with some helpful advice on improving your family finances. This way, family finance doesn’t have to be such a touchy topic, and you can enjoy a peaceful home with solid financial security.
Causes of unhealthy family finances.
The first step to improving your family finances begins with analyzing your poor finances’ possible cause. Nowadays, when money helps make things better by enhancing and increasing your options in life, there is always a need to make more.
Here are possible reasons for financial difficulty in the family that may not be related to your monthly, weekly, or daily earnings.
- Unfettered spending
- Poor savings culture
- Lack of investment sense
- Low financial intelligence, etc.
Essentially, improving your family finances involves cutting off financial waste channels and redirecting your finances to make your money work for you. Here is how to go about it:
Tips on improving your family finances
Cut down unfettered spending by tracking your expenses.
Uncontrolled spending habits are at the base of almost every financial problem, personal or familial. It is easier to spend money unnecessarily when you have a family. As a result, the best way to stay on top of things is to track your expenses.
What’s more, you do not have to be a professional accountant or financial expert to track your expenses. Likewise, tracking your spending does not require any fancy college degree, tools, or equipment. You only need the right motivation, drive, and a little bit of personal commitment to achieve it.
A simple bookkeeping habit is one of the easiest ways to track your expenses and doesn’t cost more than a simple pen and writing pad. Alternatively, you can utilize some applications like Evernote or a spreadsheet if you want to be a little bit more digital.
Endeavor to do your bookkeeping as detailed as possible. For example, you can include items you bought, the amount you paid, and how you paid for the items. This way, you will stay more organized and accountable.
Save up all financial documents to enhance financial tracking.
Record keeping is indispensable in any financial transaction. Not just for the sensitivity of money issues but for improving your family finance. Your financial documents are beneficial for proper financial planning, including earnings, expenses, and investment.
For instance, if you saved up your W-2 forms after each paycheck, you can easily match your payments against your costs. This way, you can easily detect when you are spending above your earnings and plan for investment opportunities.
Additionally, if you, as an independent contractor, saved up your 1099 forms, you will know whether or not you are earning well from your skills. As a result, you can plan your methods of operation, like seeking out more clients, networking, etc.
Furthermore, receipts and invoices are all relevant financial documents worth saving. However, you only need to keep it for a specific period to help with your financial documentation. Some people, for instance, save documents for a year or every six months.
Look out for money patterns for improved family finances.
Money patterns are only visible to those who pay attention to them. Usually, everyone has a money pattern that works according to their spending habits. However, you might often wonder why you make good money and can not seem to account for it. Sometimes, it feels like you make money, yet it somehow varnishes. The reason is that you are unaware of your money patterns.
Essentially, your eyes begin to spot your money patterns when you take care of your uncontrolled spending and track your financial documents. Over time, you will observe a system in your family finance. Gradually, you begin to notice where the money comes from, where it goes and what you do with it. Also, you can analyze whether or not your cash moves towards healthy family finance.
For example, if your family is in the habit of always eating out, you will be amazed at how much your family finances improves when you begin to eat more home-cooked meals. Besides, your family will be healthier, better nourished, and you get to some less on hospital visits and drugs.
Set up a monthly budget
One of the problems with family finances is that you overspend due to not having a budget. When you set up a family budget for expenses, things become a lot easier. Not only will you find it much easier to set money aside, but you will also identify expenses that aren’t really necessary for your family. It’s very easy to spend money, yet hard to earn it. That’s the reason why you always want to find new ways to boost your finances and take them to the next level. Thankfully, setting up a budget can save quite a lot.
When it comes to saving money, try to set around 20% of your income aside every month. It sounds hard, but doing that will help you escape a lot of financial hurdles. It will also motivate to boost the family finances by setting money aside all the time. After all, you never know when you need extra money, so things like this might help more than you might expect, which is always a good thing to consider.
Avoid taking loans
The problem with loans is they also have interest rates attached to them. So even if you pay them back, you will lose money in the end since you have to pay interest on top of the money as well. That’s the reason why you should avoid taking personal loans often, unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s fine to take a mortgage for your property, but not to take a payday loan every single month to buy stuff. What that shows is if you are living beyond your means, and you need to re-adjust as much as possible.
Another great thing you can do is to cut back on any recurring charges. Many companies started using a system called subscriptions that’s actually very efficient for them. Even if you don’t use the service, they take money from your account every month. Check your subscriptions, see what you are using and what wastes money basically, then you will find it much easier to improve your family finances this way.
Don’t just copy the expenses of other people
Some of us end up copying others because we want to stay friends with them and we want to feel as their equal. The truth is that some families have a lot of expenses, others less so. Buying stuff just for the sake of buying it won’t ever help. If anything, it will lead to issues down the line. You should always have a list of tasks and things to do, and then you adjust it accordingly. There will be some issues that can arise, but in the end you want to focus on value and what you need the most.
Always set money aside for emergencies
When it comes to family finances, you always want to have an emergency fund. The reality is that you never know what issues can arise and what expenses that might incur. That’s the reason why we think setting money aside for emergencies can help, and it will eliminate any potential problems. You will feel a lot safer knowing that if anything happens, you will be much more appreciative of that fund you have set aside. A six month fund can ensure your survival for a few months even if you don’t have any work or income.
Create a bill – paying system
The idea behind such a system is to try and pay off your bills automatically if you can, without any issues. The benefit of having such a system is that not only do you not have to remember paying manually, but it also saves a lot of hassle on your side. Another great thing is that you will already allocate some money from your income to those bills.
Speaking of your account, you also want to check it from time to time and ensure that there are no mistakes, fraud signs or anything like that. Scammers will try to find ways to overcharge or there might be some recurring, small expenses. Checking your account can help prevent that!
Summing up
Although maintaining healthy family finance may not be the easiest thing to do, it is in your family’s best interest. Also, Several beautiful families have fallen apart due to unhealthy family finances. However, improving your family finances is easily achievable with the steps in this article. So, buckle up and take control of your family finances today!
FAQS:
What are passive income ideas?
Passive income is any income generated without your active involvement or engagement. As a result, several passive income ideas exist. Examples of passive income ideas include but are not limited to affiliate marketing, creating and selling online courses, e-book selling, peer-to-peer lending, dividend stocks, rental income, etc.
What are basic financial skills?
Basic financial skills are the minor financial skills required for managing your money effectively. According to popular opinion, budgeting is essential for personal and family finance. Everything begins with setting a budget, and you can start by looking at your cash at hand, bank statement, credit card bills, proposed expenses, etc.
What are financial needs?
Your financial needs are necessities that cost you money and can be massive or minimal, depending on the situation. Essentially, your financial needs form the bulk of your expenses after receiving every paystub. Examples include feeding, housing, transportation, clothing, insurance, etc. Additionally, every expenditure you require to go through life adds to your financial needs.
