budgeting

How Maintaining A Budget Can Be Good For Your Health

The following is a guest post.

Life without a budget can be quite similar to a journey across the world without a map. While both can be eventually accomplished, both could result in a lot of wasteful spending. A budget can be used to categorically list down expected expenses; in turn, helping you save and anticipate any needs before you spend on your wants.

Many people think of a budget as restrictive and corrective; most wealthy people, however, say the use of a strict budget results in efficient financial planning for the long term and reduced dependency on borrowing. Here are some ways how maintaining a budget can prove to be good for your financial and mental health:

1. Becomes a guide:

   Creating a budget will tell you where every cent is being spent. Once you have a visual representation of all your actual expenditures, you will know exactly where you’re headed. If you feel like you’re not on the right path, you can use the budget to plan better and use your resources much more efficiently. The budget could be used as a guide to distinguish between your needs and your wants.

2. Helps prioritize:

   A budget can help you set your priorities right. For example, if you have to choose between a new phone or saving up for your college tuition, the budget could show you exactly how much you can spend on the phone without sacrificing your studies.

3. Discloses waste:

   Since a budget visually represents all your expenditures, it is easier to identify incorrect use of money. If you’re not enlisting any wasteful expenditure, a budget shortfall will be created and you are much more likely to take corrective measures.

4. Reduces stress:

   Following a budget will give you a clear picture of your personal financial health. You won’t have to stress out every time you have to make a large purchase or plan a vacation. You will know exactly when what bill is due and you are more likely to have the sufficient funds to make the payment, thus reducing any stress.

5. Helps save:

   You know how they say, ‘Save before you spend’; a budget is the only way you can do that without compromising on either. You don’t necessarily have to save 100 dollar bills and hide them under your mattress. Learn how to invest and you could find yourself another revenue stream.

6. Reduces dependency on debts and borrowing:

   Learning to live within a budget will reduce your dependency on debts and borrowing in times of dire need. With a budget, you are more likely to have saved at least a little every month for any unexpected calamity that may need urgent financing.

Creating a budget won’t make you wealthy instantly, but it could certainly help you become healthy and stress free with the same amount of resources, and also help you get rich in the long run.

Author Bio

Mehmood  Ali is a passionate blogger who loves to write on different disciplines such as Health, lifestyle, finance and education.

James Hendrickson

James is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek.  When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College.  He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.