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What Does A Realistic Budget Look Like? - Money Under 30
Things you don’t usually think about when budgeting
- Emergency funds are essential, even if you put a bare minimum towards it.
- Birthdays, Christmas, or car registration are expenses you should be able to plan for. Set aside some money towards it every week, and by the end of 12 months, you'll have a set amount to spend on these items.
- If you have pets, you'll need to include a portion of your budget for their food and vet bills.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
Refinancing your home
When mortgage interest rates get low, refinancing isn't always the best choice.
Deciding when to refinance your home loan depends on several factors besides whether you can get a better mortgage rate.
Reasons to refinance your mortgage
The two big reasons to refinance are:
- To reduce your monthly mortgage payment
- To save on the overall interest you will pay on your house in the long run.
Refinancing does not always reduce the monthly payment or save on the overall interest.. A loan officer or mortgage broker can help you run scenarios that show you the cost and potential savings of refinancing.
How long you keep your home
Generally, it makes sense to refinance if you plan on staying in your home for many years.
If you plan to sell the property soon, don't refinance. Refinancing could take years to break even and begin saving you money.
The snowball debt method
With this method, you pay off your debts from the smallest balance to the largest balance, regardless of interest rates.
When you pay the smallest debts first, you start to clear your low debts away very quickly. Doing this feels empowering. Once you've paid off a debt, you will have more money to send as an additional payment to the next debt you are focused on (hence the snowball analogy.)
The avalanche debt method
In the debt avalanche method, you pay your debts from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate, regardless of balance.
You will pay less in interest if you pay off your debts in this order. You will also pay it off faster.
Deciding between the Snowball and Avalanche debt methods
The supporters of the two methods are both enthusiastic about which one to use. However, it barely matters which system you use. The best approach is the one that keeps you motivated.
Make the minimum payments on all of your debt. Then, focus on one debt that bothers you the most and put every dollar you can towards it until it is gone. Then move on to the next debt.
Automate Your Savings
The best way to attain financial success is not about having a budget or avoiding debt, or even choosing the right investments, but about having a system that makes automatic wealth creation possible for you while you sleep.
Investors make a lot of stupid financial decisions based on emotions and sentiments and putting money on ‘autopilot’ saves us from giving to temptation and laziness.
Self Control And Laziness
Will power and self-control are like a muscle that can be strengthened. The more we practice self-control, the better we become in implementing the same.
Our laziness too plays a big part in hurting our wallets, like forgetting to pay bills that incur late fees, or overspending on credit cards and paying for subscriptions that are not in use.
Brain On Autopilot: Tiny Habits That Work
Automatic behaviours trigger better decisions and make the entire process seamless. One thing compliments the other, and good habits give space to other good habits.
Example: When a person is dressed up nicely, they tend to work harder.