Budgeting is key to being financially stable. A budget is a systematic plan for the expenditure of a usually fixed resource, such as money or time, during a given period. As a single mother you might groan at the thought of putting together a household budget with all your expenses, but its easy to do and will also help you become very financially organized. Many single mothers find themselves facing financial problems every day.
A single mother faces many burdens of everyday costs for her children's well-being, as well as her own, that at times will leave her in need of financial assistance.
Shaping up your finances is particularly important if you are experiencing a life altering experience such as a marriage, divorce, new baby or any other event that changes your finances dramatically. Whatever the state of your financial life, developing a sensible budget will allow you to stay on track.
The core of budgeting is for you as a single mother to see your monthly spending needs and habits. The purpose of a budget allows you to track your personal cash flow, which is how much money comes in and how much goes out, usually recorded on a monthly basis.
Adding up your monthly income is easy, but totaling up all your expenses takes a little more effort. First, collect all your bills, your credit card statements, your checkbook register and all your receipts, even for things you buy with cash.
If you haven't been keeping good records of your spending, you may have to get a receipt of every dollar you spend for a month before you put together an accurate budget.
Track you expenses by making entries in a notebook or learn how to in Microsoft excel which is a great tool to use when creating a budget.
Now divide your spending into fixed costs and variable costs. Your fixed costs will include such things as mortgage payments, rent or loan payments.
Your variable costs will include such things as clothing, food and entertainment.
Once you are managing your spending, you can easily decide which costs as a single mother you can cut and which you cannot. In most cases as soon as you see how much you are spending on your morning latte, snacks in the vending machine or treats for your kids, you will be motivated to cut back. Be sure to stay motivated by setting yourself goals.
Being a single mom is hard enough but it's even harder when you are faced with financial burdens that you cannot cover alone. Living a stable and healthy life is important.
Kathryn Spencer specializes in advising young mums withhousehold budgeting,budgeting tips, and budget worksheets. Kathryn has long authored educational and support pieces for women and single mothers. Kathryn is a contributing author and editor to a variety of international and domestic web sites, and free newsletters. Kathryn lives in the southeastern United States with her two children Dylan and Kalie.
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