About Movie

Most people receive their salaries every month. This entails a spurt of spending from the 1st to 10th, moderate spending till the 20th, and then a crunch as the last week of the month hits. However, necessities have to be paid for, so that goes into the credit card bill. In the end, this becomes a vicious cycle, leading to mounting credit card debt.

In order to have some money left at the end of the month, it is best to budget weekly. First of all, set aside the sum required for monthly maintenance - house rent, Internet and telephone bills, credit card bills, loan dues, tuition fees, babysitter's wage and so on. Divide the rest of the money into five parts.

By dividing money into five parts for four and a half weeks, you automatically have half a week's worth of funds to use as emergency expenses. DO NOT touch this till the last week of the month, or in case of true emergency situations - no, that awesome band at the pub is not an emergency!

Begin the "budget week" on the day when you make your biggest expenses - groceries, bills etc. If you are a daily shopper and tend to spread your expenses throughout the week, you can begin the week any day you like. Sometimes, though, the weekly budget is simply not adequate to meet your needs and pay back existing debt. This is when you have to consider serious downscaling.

Add more and more items to your "monthly" or "biweekly" expenses rather than weekly - a monthly clothes budget of $200 sounds much more satisfying than a weekly budget of $50, for example. Also, go for quality and durability rather than quantity. Cut out your "entertainment" budget and rent a movie instead, restrict clothes shopping to one good item per month, and cut out junk food as much as possible.

Buying in bulk and using coupons cleverly can reduce your budget for essentials to nearly half. If necessary, split the cost of the bulk purchase among neighbors and friends, so that everyone benefits. Also, try to buy food in as unprocessed condition as possible. Cooking from fresh raw materials from a local farmer's market and freezing the meals once a week works out much cheaper than buying frozen food from the departmental store.

Finally, keep tabs on your expenses. Bills can spiral out of control even when you think you are being frugal. Stay aware of this, and know exactly how much you have spent every week - and what percentage of your income is left for the rest of the month.

Of course, no amount of budgeting is useful if you fail to stick to your plans. Whatever budget you prepare, make sure to keep track of every penny spent, and to refuse any additional spending. If this means you end up buying non-organic food, ten less bars of chocolate, or one less pair of shoes - don't let it matter. Your finances come first.