Is there a month left and no salary? Unfortunately the problem is not how much you earn, but how you manage your money.
Many people spend their days complaining that they earn little, that they never have money for anything and blah, blah, blah.
But will we agree something? There is no salary (no matter how good) that survives a consumerist mind and completely disorganized with the household budget.
Do you want to stop this financial mess? How nice! You've come to the right place! We brought many, many tips that will bring a light to your little head, come on?
What is home economics?
The domestic economy is a tool for controlling and managing the financial reserves of the home and family.
It is also the most effective way to manage and balance how much you earn and how much you spend each month, not only with bills at home, but with everything you consume throughout the month, including tours, dinners, clothing , travel and the chocolate after lunch.
Why is the home economy so important?
It is with it (and thanks to it) that you can save, save and manage your money better, besides achieving dreams and personal projects.
The domestic economy is fundamental for those who want to enjoy a life with more quality, valuing what really matters instead of being stuck in the middle of bills and collection calls.
In the end, you will realize that the home economy is, in fact, a big leap towards freedom.
Home economics tips to get out of the red
Did you understand why the domestic economy is so important? So check out 15 tips to start implementing this financial control today in your life:
Financial X-ray
The first and most fundamental step in organizing home and personal finances is knowing exactly how much you and the other family members earn, penny by penny.
Then, collect all your expenses and commitments, including water, electricity and telephone bills. Don't forget to include loans, financing and financial arrangements.
In the notebook
Put it all together? Now it's time to organize all that information. The most practical and easiest way to do this is with a spreadsheet that you can do yourself using programs like Excel.
But if you prefer, know that there are even personal financial management applications, such as Organizze, for example.
The good old book tactic also works. The important thing is to have a clear and objective note of all your commitments.
In a column to the side, write down your income, including salary, rent receipts and other extra income.
The objective here is that your income column has a higher value than that of expenses and commitments. Can you do it?
50/30/20 rule
A good way to balance home finances is to bet on the use of the rule known as 50/30/20. What would that be, anyway?
This rule suggests that you make 50% of your income available for essential expenses, such as paying bills for water, electricity, telephone, health insurance, food, housing, transportation and other basic survival items in the modern world.
Next, you must set aside 30% of the budget to cover your lifestyle. This includes trips, meals away from home, trips, clubs, gym, among other items that cannot be considered as basic (because you can live without), but which, let's face it, make you happy.
Finally, reserve the remaining 20% to cover financing expenses, loans, agreements and, of course, to make investments.
In practice, this rule would work like this: if you receive R $ 3000 monthly, 50% of that amount (R $ 1500) must be directed to essential expenses, 30% or R $ 900 for lifestyle expenses and 20% or R $ 600 to cover financial expenses on loans and investments.
Make this division directly on your household budget spreadsheet. So you can see what each expense is for.
Family meeting
Another home economics tip is to bring the family together to guide everyone about the new directions of the home budget.
It is essential that everyone is committed to balancing finances, so that family goals, such as buying a home or buying a car, can be met.
Explain the importance of everyone's engagement and ask for collaboration.
Set priorities
There is no domestic economy that can survive without a list of priorities. If you continue to think that you need everything you have and that you should continue to support all your expenses, you do not even need to continue making plans.
In addition to the essential expenses that for obvious reasons must be maintained, it is very important that you assess the need for some items that are in your budget.
Be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you really need to go out every weekend for dinner. The gym that you pay for and will not even need to maintain? Perhaps you can substitute for a run on the street, for example.
And the cinema? Can't you do a movie night at home?
Do children really need to stroll in the mall? Take them to a park or a square, in addition to the walk out for free, you can also spend time with them, enjoying moments that money cannot afford.
The important thing is to realize that you can always create alternatives for what you are used to doing.
You may find that a home meeting in the company of family and friends is much more fun than in a bar or restaurant, for example.
Allow yourself to experience these possibilities!
Have goals
For the domestic budget to make sense, it is always good to have short, medium and long term objectives.
Call on the family and set these goals together.
It could be a trip in two months, a walk on the weekend or buying a home.
But it is very important to set goals and objectives. This causes everyone to commit and dedicate themselves to comply with the budget rules.
Renegotiate
The domestic economy also involves renegotiating debts, especially those you have with the bank, such as the overdraft limit.
Call your account manager and propose a renegotiation, ask for an interest rate rebate or a good discount to pay off the debt completely.
You will see the relief it gives!
Review spending
Cable TV, magazine subscriptions and banking basket are just a few of the expenses you can start reviewing.
Have you thought about exchanging your TV plan for a streaming service, such as Amazon Prime and Netflix? It is much cheaper!
And can't you read the magazine's content online, for example?
Did you know that you are not required to pay for the bank's basket of services? It is not! You can ask the manager to migrate your account to the free services option. The bank is obliged to continue offering a minimum amount per month of withdrawals, statements and other services. Depending on the movement you make per month it is very worthwhile to consider this option.
Another unnecessary expense that you can cut today is your credit card annuity. Choose companies that offer card free of charge, like NuBank, for example.
Also review your cell phone and internet plan. Suddenly you don't even need that many minutes to talk a month.
Wipe everything!
Make lists
Before shopping, make lists. This tip should become a mantra in your head that is so important.
Going to the market? List! Going to buy clothes? List! Going to the fair? List!
But it is to follow exactly what is there, ok?
Take counted money
Did you make the list? So take cash to make the purchase, preferably in the approximate amount you believe you will need.
Believe me: if you take a credit or debit card, your mind will sabotage you with that story: “Ah, but it's just this one, it's cheap, on sale”.
And you will fall!
Organize your cabinets
What does closet organization have to do with home economics? All! If you don't know what you have, you will probably end up buying what you don't need.
So, before going to the market, organize your kitchen cabinets and see what you already have in the pantry.
If buying clothes or shoes, do the same. It may be that you have a beautiful shoe that you don’t even remember or a faded outfit with the label on it.
Take the opportunity to see the possibility of repairing parts that are stopped and unused because they are wide or have some other problem that can be easily repaired.
Save
From today on, incorporate the supervisor of the economy and if you need to be boring or boring, either! Shorten the bath time to save water and electricity.
During the day, keep the house with doors and windows open, so natural light illuminates everything and you don't have to keep lighting lamps.
At night, turn off the lights in the rooms when you leave and unplug the appliances from the outlet because even in stand by mode they continue to consume energy.
Check the temperature position of your refrigerator. Decrease the degree of cooling if it is empty or low on supplies, the same goes for the freezer. Take the opportunity to check if the rubber in the refrigerator is sealing properly.
Wash and iron only when adding a good number of pieces. And if the sun is shining in the yard or on the balcony, don't even think about using the dryer.
It is also worth noting if there are water leaks through the house, both in the main register, as in the taps and in the shower.
Transport
One thing is a fact: you will need to get around on a daily basis, whether to go to work, college, take the kids to school or just go to the market.
But how can you save with this daily transport? One option is to use public transport instead of the car. It turns out that, at least here in Brazil, public transport ends up not being the best option.
For those who have a car, a good option is to bet on a ride with shared costs. That is, you offer or hitchhike and split expenses.
When taking children to school, you can arrange a relay with other parents who live nearby, for example.
Anticipate your purchases and pay cash
Planning is the best way to save money when shopping. So, if you want, for example, to buy a new TV, start by researching models and prices in stores. Use the internet to help you in this process.
After defining the make and model, start saving the necessary money and create a short-term goal to accomplish it.
With cash in hand, it is much easier to get discounts and take advantage of flash deals. It is also worth waiting for specific dates, such as Black Friday or the inventory burn sales that some retail chains make annually.
Make an emergency reservation
Have an emergency reserve. This is crucial for you to never be caught off guard again.
In general, the idea is that you have a value saved that corresponds to 24 salaries. For example, you earn R $ 3000 a month, so your ideal emergency reserve should be R $ 72,000.00.
That amount would be enough for you to stay if you lose your job, for example. But it can also be used for a health emergency or for an inevitable home makeover.
The emergency reserve should not only be used for superfluous things, like buying clothes or going out.
If you prefer, create funds for this type of spending. Have a reserved amount just to buy non-essential items. The same applies for travel.
The important thing is that the emergency reserve money is kept quiet in his place. After all, as its name says it is an "emergency reserve".
After all these home economics tips you have no excuse to stay in the red. Put it into practice today and feel in control of your life!
