CONTENTS
Guide
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Adams Media
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Copyright 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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First Adams Media hardcover edition November 2018
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ISBN 978-1-5072-0907-3
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Contains material adapted from the following title published by Adams Media, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.: The Everything Budgeting Book, 3rd Edition by Tere Stouffer, copyright 2013, ISBN 978-1-4405-6776-6.
INTRODUCTION
If the word budget makes you cringe, youre reading the right book. Old-style personal financial advice equates budgeting with constant expense tracking, deep cost-cutting (mostly of all the fun stuff), and a lot of math. It sounds boring and frustrating, and no one (including me) wants to do it.
The truth is that budgeting doesnt mean sacrifice; it means choice. A budget is a plan for your money that will let you take control of your finances so that you can have all of the things that you want, whatever they are. You can gear your budget toward the life you want, whether that includes ironclad financial security, the freedom to ditch your job and travel the world, or resources to buy your dream house and start a family.
Budgeting is about designing a road map to financial security and prosperity. Sometimes that path includes cutting back on expenses (especially the ones that arent bringing you any benefits); other times it creates space for major life changes (like buying a house). Its a way to tap into your resources wisely and transform them into future wealth.
More than all of that, its a way to take the anxiety out of money management: instead of stressing over every bill that comes in, for example, youll already have figured out exactly how to pay it. Youll have a plan for eliminating the debt thats been keeping you up at night. You wont have to worry about whether or not youll have enough money to fund your retirement. That financial confidence will help you overcome the challenges that have been keeping you from getting ahead and accumulating a healthy nest egg.
To get to the financial destination you want, though, you need to know where youre starting from. Youll use that information to set a course that will help you reach your goals. Your budget will act as the GPS, giving you directions and rerouting you when detours pop up so you can get wherever you want to go.
Chapter 1
Budgeting Basics
Most people have the wrong idea about budgets. They think theyre all about eating no-brand ramen noodles in the dark to save money and keeping endlessly detailed records of every penny spent. The real point of a budget is to make sure youre never in a position where ramen noodles are all you can afford to eat or youre praying your power doesnt get shut off because you couldnt pay the bill.
In this chapter, well expose budgeting myths, take a look at budget reality, and reveal the best way to make this personalized money plan work for you. With this powerful tool, youll be able to build wealth, meet and exceed your goals, and be ready whenever unexpected financial setbacks occur.
WHAT BUDGETING IS (AND ISNT)
A Money Plan... Not a Magic Potion
The right budget is a game plan for your money that assigns specific jobs to every dollar, whether that job is to pay the electric bill, buy this weeks groceries, or beef up your 401(k) account. That plan helps you direct cash toward your financial goals, from paying cash for your next car to funding a destination wedding to enjoying a stress-free retirement. A budget lets you decide ahead of time what you want to do with your money instead of spending randomly in ways that undermine your plans and leave you with a mountain of debt.
What budgeting wont do is magically and instantly solve all of your money problems. Its not a quick fix or a perfect formula. But with time and focus it can move you out of a monthly money crunch and toward financial freedom and prosperity.
A Small Leather Bag
The word budget comes to us from fifteenth-century France, where a bougette was a little leather bag or pouch that was used to carry money (sort of like a wallet). After a hundred years or so, the word morphed into budget and began to refer to the money inside the pouch.
Bottom line: a budget tailored to your lifeas opposed to your life tailored to a budgetcan help you spend consciously, dig out of debt, and build substantial wealth.
BUSTING BUDGET MYTHS
There are many misconceptions about budgets floating around, and they keep a lot of people from taking control of their money. Dont let these myths get in the way of your financial future. Well knock down these false obstacles so you can feel good about creating your money plan.
Myth: Budgets are for other people. Truth: Everyone can benefit from a budget. Paying attention to your finances is the best way to avoid crippling debt and build lasting wealth.
Myth: Budgets are too stressful. Truth: Running out of money every month before your bills are paid, being stuck in debt, and having little or no savings causes anxiety. Budgeting so you can manage your money better will reduce your stress.