What is a household budget?

 

A household budget is a document that compiles all your income and expenses over a certain period, in a systematic and orderly manner.

It is a detailed description of your family economy and the most effective way of making the most of your money. The budgets are usually monthly or annual.

 

Why is it useful?

 

Thanks to the household budget, you will have valuable information on your actual spending habits. You will be able to analyse them objectively and take responsible decisions when planning your financial future.

 

For where start?

 

Before preparing your household budget, you need to ask yourself some questions:

• How much money enters and how much spends your family every month
• If is achieved arrive with comfort at the end of the month
• If is achieved save and if exists a emergency fund

 

Why is necessary?

 

There are many reasons to draw up a budget and each family can have its own, but it is especially useful for:

• Knowing what you spend your money on.
• Conform to those which expenses that you can allow you.
• Prioritise those expenses that are really necessary.
• Reduce or eliminate debts.
• Save a certain amount of money every month.
• Have an emergency fund, or increase the actual.
• Live without economic ups and downs and make plans for the future.
• Detect anomalous gaps or expenditure.
• Control debts.
• Reduce family conflicts.
• Transmit financial education to your children.

 

How is done?

 

It is important to write down all the incomes and expenses of the family unit, specifying which ones are exact amounts and which are estimates, and taking into account both regular and occasional income and expenses.

 

• Income: It is important to include all your incomes. Your biggest source of income will be your salary or wage, but you may also need to include rental income from a property, interest received on a bank account or deposit, a donation, a lottery prize, etc.
• Expenses: This includes all outgoings, ranging from your monthly rent or mortgage payment to the cup coffee you buy every morning. The can be divided as follows:
  • Fixed: Those compulsory and regular expenses (monthly, quarterly, annual...), with amounts that are difficult to change: mortgage or rent, electricity, water, telephone, resident's association fees, insurance, schools, etc. If you do not pay on time, you could be charged a surcharge and you may have legal problems.
  • Variables: Including necessary expenses, as the food, the transportation or the clothes;superfluous expenses, anyone who do but of which would be able to prescindir, as a trip in couple or a nocturnal exit; and unexpected expenses, that they arrive unexpectedly and us see obliged to attend, as a repair of the car.

 

Is necessary some tool?

 

Although there are applications that you will provide the elaboration of your budget (apps mobile phones, spreadsheets, etc.), with a simple leaf and a pen or pencil is enough.

We recommend you draw up a basic template that you can use every month and later file.

 

Analysis of results

 

Once registered all the incomes and expenses of a month (and the proportional part of the annual expenses) is moment of analysing ones results that, probably, surprise you. They tally your accounts?, are ant or cicada?, is really is necessary the expenditure that you do in leisure or in clothes?

If the expenses exceed to the incomes, there is a problem. The expenses should not exceed 90% of incomes. You have gone out perhaps moves forward compensating months of saving with others of major expenses, but it is necessary to control and equilibrate the situation so that the savings do not run out.

 

Correcting errors: readjustment of the budget

 

With the details in the hand, is easy to identify the errors committed and quickly know what reductions do or what additional fundings are going to be necessary. And, as the possibilities of increasing the incomes are limited, the solution involves reduce expenses, starting for the non-essential.

Readjust the budget for months on end you will allow acting with anticipation, have control on your family economics and plan your financial future.

 

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