Discover proven strategies how to create perfect budget for financial freedom. Start your journey to becoming financial independent.
Have you ever thought that when we get our salary at the
beginning of every month, we dream big? We will buy new clothes, go out with
friends, buy expensive gadgets but at the end of the month, we get only one
thing and that is empty pockets and broken dreams.
Does this happen to you too? If yes, then you are not alone.
Crores of people try to make a budget every month but fail
to follow it properly.
Control your expenses
But imagine if you have a way by which you can not only
control your expenses but also buy your favorite things without any worry, then
you will think whether this is possible? So yes it is possible and in today's article I am going to teach
you this.
First of all, let us learn what this is.
On hearing the name, some negative thoughts often come to
our mind.
Like budget means putting restrictions on expenses or budget
is made only in the absence of money.
But the truth is that budget is not a restriction.
Rather it is a means of giving the right direction to your
money.
Simply put, a budget is a plan that creates a balance
between your income and expenses.
It tells you where and how your income should be spent so
that you can achieve your financial goals.
Things can get confusing very quickly.
For example, if you have an income of Rs 50,000 a month,
whether it is a salary or a business, your budget will decide how much of it
should go towards your fixed expenses, variable expenses and profitable
investments.
This will not only help you meet your needs but also fulfill
your future dreams.
Let us understand this with an example.
Sow all the seeds with proper planning
Imagine you have a small farm.
If you sow seeds without any planning, some may fall at the
right place and bear fruit.
But most will go to waste.
What if you sow all the seeds with proper planning? What to
grow in which part of the farm? What time to water and how to apply fertilizer?
If you know how to treat it according to the season, then you can get maximum
yield.
The same thing applies to your money as well.
The more systematically you spend money, the better your
investment will grow and you will be able to achieve all your goals
systematically.
See from your last example that you have a monthly salary of
₹ 50,000.
If you spend this money without planning, then at the end of
the month you will know that the entire money has been spent, but savings could
not be achieved.
On the other hand, if you spend this money by making a
proper budget, like one part for house rent, your bills and all expenses. Second
part for savings and investments.
Making a budget teaches you financial discipline
It helps you understand where your money is being spent
properly and where it is being wasted.
For example, if you are spending ₹2000 per month on junk
food, then after making a budget, you will think that by saving this money, you
can purchase a small thing in a few months which is very important to you right
now or can you go somewhere with the family with that money? Let's understand
this through a small story.
Rohit, who belonged to a middle class family and used to
feel the shortage of money at the end of every month, started using a credit
card to maintain his lifestyle.
Due to which he now had a huge debt.
Then on the advice of a friend, he started making a budget.
He kept 50% of his income for fixed expenses, 30% for
variable expenses and 20% for savings.
In the first month itself, he saw that his savings started
increasing and after six months, he had saved a good amount and also bought a
bike of his choice.
Therefore, Rohit learned that making a budget is not only
giving him financial security but also helping him to fulfill his desires.
Your budget is a roadmap for your financial health
Just like a doctor makes a health plan for you, similarly
making a budget is a sure way to take your financial health in the right
direction.
The budget ensures that you use your money at the right
place.
Avoid unnecessary expenses and fulfill your long term goals.
So the first and most important step of making a budget is
to analyze your income and your expenses properly.
You have to understand how much income you are getting every
month.
And where and how you are spending it.
First of all, do a proper analysis of your income.
See, this income of yours can be the salary you get from
your job or business.
It can be income through freelancing or it can be some other
side income.
Wherever your income is coming from, that is your ultimate
income.
You can note it in a diary or use some such app.
It is very important to understand how much income you are
getting in total, that is, the amount you are getting so that you can make your
budget accordingly.
Now for example, suppose your monthly salary is ₹ 50,000,
you earn ₹ 3000 from there by doing some part-time work.
If you have deposited some money in the bank, then you can
get ₹ 2000 from there as well as some regular money.
If we calculate the income on the Euler basis, then in total
you get a total of ₹ 55,000 monthly income.
Let's now talk about your expenses and this is the most
important step because from here you will know where your money is going.
You have to write down all the expenses, even if they are
small expenses.
Like daily tea or big expenses like house rent, everything
has to be written.
For this, you will see three months' bank statement and
credit card bills.
This will give you an idea of where your expenses are
being incurred.
You can divide all these expert teachers into three
categories - fixed expenses, variable expenses which are the expenses that
remain the same every month and cannot be avoided under any circumstances like
house rent, EMI, children's school.
You have to cover these expenses first.
This is very important for your life and cannot be curtailed
under any circumstances.
Variable Expenses Variable expenses are those which can
change every month like electricity bill and these expenses can be controlled a
little.
Before learning any stock market course, you must do these
three things.
First, what does that course teach you? So fuel, grocery and
fuel can be controlled a little.
For example, if you pay electricity bill of ₹ 2000 every
month, then you can reduce this expense to ₹ 1800 by reducing the use of
electricity a little.
Similarly, while shopping for groceries, keep an eye on
discounts and offers and you can control it a little by buying only the
necessary things.
Keep an eye on discretionary expenses
Discretionary expenses are those which you can do or avoid
as per your wish.
These expenses are not necessary like movie tickets, landing
out and shopping of unnecessary things.
If you want to improve your budget, then you have to pay
maximum attention to controlling these expenses.
For example, if you spend ₹2000 every weekend for dinners
out, you can reduce it and cook at home.
This will not only improve your health but also save you
money.
Now that you have done your expenses, it is time to adopt
the most popular and effective rule 503020.
This rule is very effective and it is also very easy to
follow.
According to this strategy, 50% of your income should be for
expenses like house rent, MI, grocery and kids.
Cover these first because they are a must for your life.
As we saw that your total monthly income is ₹55,000, then
you should keep ₹27,500 for fixed expenses.
After that 30% of your income should be for variable and
discretionary expenses.
Here you have to spend a little smartly.
And try to save some money from this which you can add to
your savings.
Here you should take out a maximum of ₹16,500 from your
income of ₹55,000 for this category.
Now the remaining 20% of the income should be for savings.
And this is the most important part because it secures your
future and leads to financial freedom.
For example, out of an income of ₹55,000, you should keep
11,000 every month for savings and investments.
You can invest this money in different places according to
your financial balance.
Like Bank of East Mutual Funds, Stock Market or an emergency
fund.
Remember that Bas Rating is a dynamic process.
As there are changes in your income and expenses, you will
have to adjust your budget accordingly.
This is not a one-time process, but it is very important to
monitor and adjust it regularly.
For example, if your income increases, you can increase the
share of your investments or if your expenses increase, you will have to cut
down on other expenses.
Making a budget seems easy but following it can be equally
challenging.
Many people prepare a budget with great excitement, but fail
to follow it for a long time.
See, there are many reasons behind it, which need to be paid
attention to.
The biggest reason is an unexpected teacher or an emergency
situation.
Suddenly a major medical emergency can come or if any
household item gets damaged, it needs to be repaired or you may have to spend
money to help friends and relatives.
Your budget can be shaken due to many such unexpected expenses
Attractive offers and discounts available in online shopping
stores also become a big hurdle in following the budget.
Along with that, many times people make their budget more
strict than necessary thinking that they will spend less.
They make a very big budget for themselves but in real life
it becomes very difficult to follow such a budget.
You may be following it for a month or two but in the long
term it is very difficult.
This can also be stressful psychologically and ultimately we
are forced to leave the budget.
After that, if your budget has only monthly planning and
does not include long term plans, then you may have a lot of difficulty in
following it.
Ignoring the savings related to long term plans like buying
a house, retirement planning or children's education expenses can also create
problems.
If you want to make the budget systematic, then you should
follow these things carefully.
To make it easy to follow mathematically, first of all it
has to be made very simple and meaningful.
Let's see how we can make an effective budget and follow it
properly.
If you try to cut down on your expenses suddenly, it may be
difficult to follow it.
Instead, start with small things.
For example: Steve Jobs Signature This is London Tata
Signature at This is Amitabh Bachchan Signature Start with small things.
For example, if you spend ₹ 5000 every month here and there,
then try to reduce it to 4500 in the first month.
And gradually you can reduce it even more.
Budget for unexpected expenses
There should be some space in your budget for unexpected
expenses as well.
Any emergency events like medical emergency or getting the
car or bike repaired can completely spoil your budget.
That is why it is important to create an emergency fund for
such expenses as well.
To follow the budget, tracking it is also very important and
in today's digital age, you have many free tools and applications that you can
use to track your budget and these apps automatically track your expenses and
tell you how much you have spent and how much you have saved.
You can also use an Excel sheet to track your expenses.
In this, you can write down your daily expenses and total it
at the end of the month.
Automation can be a very good way to follow the budget.
Automation helps you to ensure that your money reaches the
right place at the right time.
You can automatically transfer a certain amount from your
bank account to your savings account or investments every month.
This will keep your savings growing regularly and you will
not have to take the tension of transferring it manually.
You can set auto pay for all your fixed expenses, such as
bills and EMIs.
This will ensure that your expenses are cut on time and
without any hassle and there will be no discrepancy in your budget.
Making a budget and tracking it is important but doing it
regularly is equally important.
This will let you know whether you are following your budget
properly or not.
If there is any mistake somewhere, then it can be corrected
in time.
Along with that, you will have to monitor your budget
properly at the end of every month.
See where you spent more than the budget and where you could
have done better.
For example, if you see that you spent more than the budget
on discretionary expenses, then for the next month, keep a check on that
particular category.
Budgeting is a dynamic process that has to be adjusted from
time to time.
For example, if your income increases, then you can increase
the share of your savings and investments.
If your expenses increase, then you will have to cut down on
other expenses.
Along with that, choose a day every month when you will not
spend at all.
This is called a no spend day.
On this day, you can find new ways to save money.
Like cooking at home, wearing old clothes or spending time
with someone for an outing.
This will not only increase your savings but will also make
you realize the importance of money.
If following the budget seems like a challenge for you, then
make it a little fun.
You can give yourself rewards
When you follow the budget properly, it will keep your
motivation intact.
For example, if you follow your budget properly for the
whole month, then give yourself a small gift like a new book or dinner at your
favorite restaurant.
This will make following your budget a little easier and fun.
Friends, remember that making a budget is something that you
will learn gradually.
Initially it may seem a little difficult but as you follow
it, it will become an important part of your life.
Make your budget with taste and move towards financial
freedom.
We will meet again another day