September Deficit

Looking back on my spending habits, there were two months where I would cringe the most when opening my bills. Opening the bills in January was always tough because of holiday spending, an increased heating bill and the additional self pressure of trying to adhere to financial resolutions. However I think what caused the most stress is when I opened bills for September. There are several reasons why people are stressed by September Bills.

1. People underestimate the amount that they will spend for school tuition and/or fees. For the most part schools have already figured out what their tuiton and fees are going to be, make sure you know how much tuition and fees are going to go up so that you can adjust you budget, or sign up for an installment plan that many schools offer.

2. People underestimate the amount that they are spending on fall clothing and/or school supplies. This is an area where it is important to establish and stick to a budget before you start shopping. The stores are designed to maximize the amount of money you will spend. It will also help you if you make a list of what you want to buy before you go shopping. This will help you make sure you get what you need while trying to stick to your budget. It will not serve you, if you stick to your budget, but your kids have seven pairs of jeans and no shoes.

3. People spent more money than they had planned on during the summer.  There are many tempting ways to spend money during the Summer. For me it was all of the little expenses that seemed to add up.Here are three major expenses to keep an eye on:

Electricity Costs - Here are some ways to reduce summer electricity expenses

Entertainment - In the summer time there are many concerts, movies, and outdoor activities that cost money. It is easy to lose track of your entertainment spending. If there is something that you want to do badly this summer, don't deny yourself, just keep in mind that you probably can't afford to do everything that you want to do, and that there are many low and no cost alternatives for entertaining yourself and your family this summer.

Gasoline Costs - These are costs than can easily creep up on you because you only have to think about it when you fill up. Including travel costs can help you keep your summer adventures within budget.

Food Costs - No one wants to cook during the Summer. However there are ways to get around this. Many people cook on their grill almost every night. You could also prepare several meals at one and freeze them of have dishes that you can serve cold.

Comments

[Angie Hartford]

Good points! Thanks for the reminders.

[Self Help Zone]

I totally agree with you...you are absolutely right about the spending.