2019年10月31日 • 3分钟
无论你是 做预算, setting a financial goal or planning for retirement, it's important to understand what your current 费用 are. Before people have an understanding of what their current 费用 really are, most think they'll be able to live on substantially less than they actually spend.
Understanding your personal 费用 requires being extremely honest with yourself about what 费用 you need to maintain – as well as what 费用 you really want but don't need. Just because you don't need something doesn't mean you can't spend money it – the important thing is to be honest about whether you need or want something. Being honest as you evaluate your 费用 will help you create a budget, financial goal, or 退休计划 这是现实的.
Most experts recommend tracking your spending for at least 30 days to get a clear picture of your spending. There are a few ways to do that:
While the tracking methods above will show you where money goes on a day-to-day basis, your 费用 must also factor in irregular costs, 比如假期, 生日, annual car registration costs and annual subscriptions. Look at your calendar and your financial records from the past year to see what your periodic and irregular 费用 were.
Here's some irregular 费用 that are part of many people’s typical finances:
If you add up all the 费用 above and divide that by 12, you’ll get an idea of how much these 费用 are costing you per month.
An even better step for your financial well-being is to save up that amount each month. 例如, if your annual irregular costs amount to $2,400, set aside $200 a month in a savings account or 货币市场帐户. Then withdraw from that account every time one of these 费用 comes up. You’ll feel less worried and have greater confidence that you can cover all your 费用.
If you're on a tight budget or recently saw your income decrease, follow these six tips to help you save money. Learn more and start saving!
Read this article to find out how to form good spending habits so you can stay on budget and reach your financial goals.
With more eating at home comes a higher grocery bill. Find out how to save money on groceries and maximize your food and pantry to spend less on grocery shopping.