personal finance and budgeting

What a fantastic basic concept.

Hitler lost the second world war because he attacked Russia too soon. udervise ve vood all be speeking Deutsch now.

We employed the alternative massively effective budgetting tool.

Be a self employed Engineer for 15 years with take home pay of £50K a year and spend it all (and more besides, because ‘I want one of those NOW’) because ‘my jobs safe’.

Watch as the banks destroy the worlds finances.

Suddenly realise that over 90% of British industry is ultimately owned by Japanese investment banks, who suddenly have no money to fulfill their legal obligations to complete legislation driven improvment projects.

Watch as my £50K a year take home falls to ZERO.

Start a brand new business with Kleeneze (sorry not available in the USA) Which although it’s building really well is , after all, a business and needs time.

Suddenly HAVE to live on £18K a year GROSS.

Best Motivation for re-inventing your budget that anyone can have LOL.

We used to spend about £1,000 a month on groceries, now we spend around £300 a month, AND we eat more healthily.

Fortunately the finance on my car ended a month after our income disappeared saving us £375 a month.

We’ve sold my wifes’ car (THAT hurt) it was a really nice car, but it was costing us £489 a month in finance.

We’ve moved to a cheaper house saving us £400 a month in rent.

We’ve cancelled everything that wasn’t absolutely essential - including SKY and the TV license (It’s true, you don’t die if you turn the telly off!)

We still have creditors who we’re negotiating reduced payments and frozen interest with, but basically we are starting again from scratch.

We won’t fall into the credit trap again

Certainly not in the next six years or more ‘cos no-one in their right mind will give us credit now anyway!!

The one thing that keeps coming back to me though is

WHY aren’t our schools teaching kids how to budget? It’s a thousand times more important than even the basics.

Who cares if you can’t spell budgit if you can make one and stick to it.

It CAN’T be one of the things that are left to parents because nobody ever taught us!

Back to subject,

Your article is brilliant and if it helps one person (which I’m sure it already has) to get out or stay out of debt then you’ve done a service to humanity.

Keep it up &

we’ll see you

OVER the top

In 2006, recent Harvard grad Alexa von Tobel was headed for a job at Morgan Stanley. But though she would soon be managing the bank’s investments, she realized she didn’t know the first thing about her own finances. Most financial guides seemed to be written for middle-aged readers with millions in assets, rather than recent college grads. "I was reading every book I could find, but none of them spoke to me," she says. So she came up with the idea for LearnVest, an online personal-finance resource for young women like her, and ended up writing an 80-page business plan.

After two years at Morgan Stanley, von Tobel entered Harvard Business School in 2008. But upon winning a business plan competition held by Astia, a non-profit that supports women entrepreneurs, she took a five-year leave of absence and invested $75,000 of her Wall Street earnings to start LearnVest in November. She quickly enlisted advisors, including Betsy Morgan, the former CEO of the Huffington Post, and Catherine Levene, the former COO of DailyCandy, to help develop the site’s content and technology. In January 2009, she secured $1.1 million in seed funding from executives at Goldman Sachs.

LearnVest’s site launched a year later and has since signed up more than 100,000 members. It offers online budgeting calculators, video chats with certified financial planners on the company’s staff, and free e-mail tutorials on topics such as opening an IRA. The company earns revenue from advertising and by referring its users to companies such as TD Ameritrade. In April, after just four weeks of fundraising, von Tobel closed a $4.5 million investment round led by Accel Partners, which has also invested in Facebook and Etsy. (Incidentally, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lived in the same dorm as von Tobel at Harvard.)

Von Tobel likens LearnVest to an online version of The Suze Orman Show, but with the goal of reinforcing positive finance habits early on. “Suze Orman helps 45-year-old women get out of debt,” she says. “Why not reach 20-year-olds to keep them from getting into debt?”

internet marketing course

Learning how to control personal finance is empowering and rewarding. When debt controls your life and leaves you reaching for credit cards to buy a pack of gum, it is time to take a serious look at your financial situation. Most people are overwhelmed by the thought of creating a budget, but doing so is the only avenue to financial freedom.

Regardless of the severity of personal finance problems, there is always a solution. The first step to regaining control is to thoroughly review expenses and spending habits. Start by making a list of living expenses including rent or mortgage payments, utilities, cell phone, car payments, home, auto and life insurance, daycare, and groceries. Next, total up your net household income and subtract the expenses. If you spend more than you earn, it's time to make budget cuts or increase income.

Budgeting is most affordable way to get finances back on track. The only tools required are a pencil and piece of paper, along with a commitment to track every dime spent. Most banks offer budgeting software which can be useful in recording daily expenses. Some people prefer to purchase budgeting software or create spreadsheets. It doesn't matter which method is used, but choose the one which you are most likely to use on a consistent basis.

With a bit of creativity and a few phones, you can potentially slash expenses by up to 50-percent. Utility companies generally offer budget plans that allow customers to pay the same amount each month. This is particularly helpful during winter and summer months when utility bills can soar. Enrolling in utility budget plans can be accomplished by contacting the company by phone or visiting their website. Most utility companies offer online enrollment options.

Another place to reduce expenses is through negotiating with cable and internet providers. In order to be successful, you will need to take time to comparison shop and determine competitor prices.

Contact providers by phone and explain that company ABC offers the same package you are currently subscribed to for x-amount of dollars. Many service providers offer deeply discounted deals for new subscribers, so be certain to find out what packages are available through your current provider. Most cable and internet providers will reduce rates to keep your business. If they aren't willing to offer a better price, consider switching to a reduced price plan or obtain service through a different provider.

Groceries can quickly eat away your budget, but savvy shoppers know the power of manufacturer coupons. Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier to save money at the grocery store. Many manufacturers offer coupons and rebates directly from their websites. There are websites dedicated to providing coupons that can be printed from the comfort of home.

Some people believe that clipping coupons is time-consuming and not worth the effort. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know a woman who saves up to 90-percent off her weekly grocery bill simply by clipping coupons.

If you spend $400 per month at the grocery store and can slash 30-percent from your bill, that's $120 in your pocket. Saving that money might take two hours of time to clip grocery coupons. Over the course of a year you could save $1440 or enough for a nice vacation.

In order to get out of debt, you must know where every penny is spent. Taking time to record expenses on a piece of paper can help you quickly determine what is depleting your bank account. I once knew a man who wasted $4500 per year buying bottled water and morning lattes. Since he was purchasing these items one at a time, he didn't realize how much money he was spending on liquid items. How much of your personal finance is being flushed down the toilet? Track your expenses for a month to find out.

Perhaps the biggest source of financial problems stems from credit card debt. If you are near your limit and barely making minimum payments consider obtaining credit card debt relief assistance.

Many companies offer debt solutions such as debt consolidation and debt settlement. It is important to conduct research and shop around for the best deal. Debt help companies typically charge a start-up and monthly fee.

If debts have spiraled out of control and debt collectors are hounding you day and night, consider obtaining credit counseling. Credit counselors can help individuals regain control of personal finance through time-tested personal money management strategies.


penis enlargement

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 7/19 - Arrowhead Pride

Welcome to another week. Your Kansas City Chiefs news waits below. Not too much today. Enjoy.

BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>: Pettitte out 4-5 weeks; Mitre to start Saturday <b>...</b>

According to Brian Cashman via Chad Jennings, Andy Pettitte will be placed on the DL and could be out for 4-5 weeks. He will be replaced in the starting.

Bob Schieffer Defends Himself Against Fox <b>News</b> On New Black <b>...</b>

CBS News' Bob Schieffer defended himself against Fox News Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources." Schieffer, who interviewed Attorney General Eric Holder last weekend on "Face the Nation," came under fire from Fox News' Megyn Kelly for not ...

how to lose weight fast