First, stop pleasing everyone and start thinking about yourself! Guarantee that those people are not putting you first, so it's time for you to put yourself first!
Budgeting is the absolute key. If you want to get ahead, make a budget and stick to it. Ask yourself what you need and what you do not need. Do you have subscriptions to stuff that you know you can live without? Then cancel them until you're back on your feet again. If you have a credit card, call and ask to have your rate lowered, they will do it without question because they want to keep you around as a customer. Stop with the gift purchasing. People are not going to die if they don't get a gift from you. Get a jar and drop any extra change into it, daily. It will add up. Maybe give yourself a goal on the jar. Any little bit helps.
It sounds like you really truly want to get your life together, and that's great, but you have to start thinking about you first. That's important! Hang in there.
2006-09-27 01:38:19
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answer #1
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answered by Gina 4
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The first thing you should do is buy a notebook. Write down all your bills and when they are due, in two or three columns. At the top of each column write down the date you will get paid. If you get paid twice a month, write down the bills in two columns or three if it's a three paycheck month. Make your first column everything that is due between the first of the month and say the 15th and the second column with the bills due the 16th - 31st of the month. Now - say your rent is due the first of the month, put that in the column of the 16th - 31st. In other words put all your bills in the paycheck column 2 weeks before they are actually due. That way you are paying them (with mail time acounted in) on time and not after the due date. Put in your budget ALL your bills, tithes if you attend church, rent, utilities (electric, water) , car payment, insurance, phone, garbage, cable, subscriptions, groceries, credit cards, any and all your bills or expected expenditures, don't forget to put money into savings as well (start out small if you have to but even $5 a week will add up for those emergency things that come up). Have a page for every month that way you can put in bills that come up quarterly or yearly - like life insurance or membership fees.
Stick by your budget - if you don't have the money - don't spend it. If you pay by credit card - pay more than the minimum to get it paid off as quickly as possible. If you can't afford a credit card payment then don't charge anything on one because interest adds up on those quickly if you don't pay them off quickly.
Good luck - this system has worked for me for 20 years. (Oh and balance your check book as soon as you get the statements)
2006-09-27 08:54:49
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answer #2
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answered by Hebrews 11 4
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If you have lots of bills you can go to non-profit company that will combine all your bills and get you lower monthly payments but you have to agree to not do anybig spending until you have finished their program. Take all your bills and add them up. Make sure you account for gas, food, laundry money, a little entertainment (gotta reward yourself if you stay on the budget). then divide it into 4 (weeks of the month) This is how much you need each week to pay your bills and get by. Any extra try to sock away in a savings account in case an problems should arise. Suprisingingly $10.00 a week adds up pretty quickly. Good Luck
2006-09-27 08:40:53
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answer #3
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answered by prettyfroggy 2
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the envelope system-it works and it's easy. Make an envelope for food, gas, etc. (anything that is not a fixed expense) For your fixed expenses (rent, utilities, etc) put that $ in the bank. When you get your check put the $ in your bank that you know will have to go towards your fixed expenses and distribute the rest to your envelopes. It's a really old time way of budgeting. Cut up your credit cards, even your debit card. You can even have an envelope for blow $ and save $. The most important thing is you don't touch the $ in your bank! Hope this helps-trust me this system works. I was like you and then I started using this. I took a class that uses this system-go to this website. It could change your life!
2006-09-27 09:27:58
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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Write down all of the monthly expenses that you know you will have to spend for every month. Your rent is one of those fixed amounts each month. Groceries or food is another. Monthly debt expenses are another. Once you can list and assign dollars to each item, that's your minimum monthly expenses. If that amount is greater than your monthly take home pay, you're already in trouble. Now add to that list all the things that you'd like to spend money on. If that new list is more than your monthly take home pay, you don't need to buy those things. Then you have to add to that the contributions to some kind of saving and investing accounts. If you don't have enough money for the about items, you don't have enough for anyone else. It's your money, you worked for it. You have to live for yourself first as everyone else has to do for themselves. Tough love is the best strategy. If you have people coming to you for money, you should instead teach them how to make and save their own money.
Give a person a fish (or money), they'll eat just for a day. Teach a person to fish (or how to earn money), they'll eat for a lifetime.
2006-09-27 08:41:09
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Proper and responsible budgeting. Avoid un-neccessary expenses/spending that may prejudice your budget.
2006-09-27 08:34:32
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answer #6
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answered by Sam X9 5
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Time to find someone and get married.
2006-09-27 12:24:43
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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marry some old rich
wrinkled prune !
2006-09-27 08:34:04
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answer #8
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answered by rottentothecore 5
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