By Terry Rigg
For years I believed that if I only had more money all of my problems would be solved. Then I would get a raise or change to a better paying job and my money situation didn't change. I just couldn't understand why.
The fact is that most people have that extra money spent before they get it. How many times have you heard someone say what they are going to do with their tax refund? The same thing goes for a pay raise. Normally, they never even notice any change in their lifestyle after they get the raise.
I saw a survey on a web site a few days ago that showed that only 35% of the people responding to the survey had a budget in place full time. This is because many people are afraid of budgets. It restricts them when they find something they want to buy. If they only knew that a budget is the only means for them to get what they want and be sure they can afford it.
With a carefully developed budget, you not only have money for your bills, but you can plan for the things you want.
There are a lot of ways to find money. By learning how to cut your current spending, you will probably find that between 10% and 25% of your spending is unnessary.
There are also a number of money saving web sites like this one that will give you literally hundreds of money saving ideas.
Most of the time it's the unexpected expenses that catch people off guard and create havoc with their finances. Again, with a budget, you can plan for this too.
So if you think more money will solve your problems, just look for it right there in your paycheck.
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Terry Rigg is the author of
Living Within Your Means - The Easy Way and editor of
The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and Budget Stretcher web site. He has 25 years of experience counseling individuals and families concerning their personal finances.
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