Household budget tips

Well, let's tinker with your budget a bit. Figure up how much you spend each month. To do this, we must first add up all our necessary costs like food, shelter, and utilities. These are our needs. Then we must figure out just how much we are spending on entertainment, clothing, household products, and other "extra" items. By doing this, we learn what we need and what we can live without. Here is a worksheet that might just help.

Housing Costs:(These should be figured in monthly amounts.) To figure car and household insurance, use the formula below. For many of these items you can consult your monthly bill. If you pay something quarterly, this means four times per year (every 3 months), so divide quarterly costs by 3. Divide an annual bill by 12. Divide a semi-annual amount by 6.

Mortgage or Rent =Homeowners Insurance or renter's Insurance =Electric =Heating (gas, oil, or other fuel) =Telephone (Do not include cellular bills, Internet bills, or bills for a second line here.)=Water =Sewer =Garbage Disposal =Cable Services (Do not include pay channels, Internet service, and pay-per-view items.) =Household Repairs =TOTAL =

Housing Cost Tip:A great tip for lowering your housing costs is to think about buying a house, rather than resting. This way you will build equity. Another money-saving tip is to consider a mobile home rather than paying high rent for small apartments.

Homeowners Insurance Tip:For lower insurance rates, try raising your deductible amount. Make sure that you are not over-insured. For renters, see if your landlord has you covered.

Food and Household cleaners/products:Groceries (Do not include expenses from eating out.) =Laundry costs (Do not include dry-cleaning and laundry services)=Cleaning Items (Do not include maid services) =Toiletries like soap, shampoo, and other necessities =Paper products like toilet paper, paper towels, and other items =TOTAL =(Are there any areas where you could cut something out? If there are, make a note of this now.)

GROCERY TIP:
A good grocery saving tip is to shop on Mondays- prices are lower on average. Always check in the bargain cart for deep discounts. Shop at stores that always have low costs. In the produce and bakery aisles, check for reduced fruit and baked goods. Always make a list up before going shopping! Never shop when hungry. Coupons are another great way to save on groceries. Of course, there are also coupons for other merchandise and cleaning items too.

Cleaning Product Tip:
When buying cleaning products, many people waste money. The best all-purpose cleaner to always have is chlorine bleach. You can clean toilets, sinks, white counters, and even some floors with this. Another all-purpose and affordable cleaner is ammonia. Just mix 1 part ammonia with 5 parts water for a great spray cleaner that will clean up the stove, colored counters, sinks, and windows too!

Clothing Costs:
Put all clothing and shoe costs here. =Include all accessories, jewelry, hair items, and dry-cleaning expenses here. =TOTAL =(Make notes here on how to cut costs.)

Transportation =
Car Payment (If you don't own a car, put your other transportation costs here.)=Car Insurance =Gasoline Costs =Other Car Expenses =TOTAL =(Make notes here on how to cut costs.)

Clothing Tip:
Remember to always check for great deals on designer clothes at garage sales, next-to-new stores, and yes, even the Salvation Army. You would be amazed at the designer labels that you will find. This is because many wealthy people give their items away to these thrift shops to get big tax deductions. You will find sequined evening gowns, leather coats, and even fur ones at these places!

Insurance Tip:
Lower your car insurance by finding out what the state limit is for liability insurance. Also you can raise your deductible to help lower your expenses. Drive a more sensible car to lower costs too. The fancier and more expensive the car, the higher the insurance rates. The sportier your car is, the higher the insurance rate is too! A two-door car costs much more to insure than a four-door one!

Entertainment =
Sports Activities =
Concerts =
Travel =
Dry Cleaning =
Maid or laundry services =
Movies =
Restaurants = (Include carry-out and delivery too!)
Clubs =
Alcohol Consumption =
Cigarettes and other "extra" products =
Any other entertainment or "extra" expense should go here:
TOTAL =

**Note: Any other product that is not needed for survival should go here in this area!
Entertainment Tips:
1. After you total up all of the areas, you will have an idea on what areas of your budget that you need to work the hardest to improve. If you spend too much on entertainment, like many people, you may need a few tips on how to save money on those fun extras. One way is by learning to make homemade pizza or tacos instead of ordering out. It is relatively easy to buy dough mix, bottled sauce, cheese, veggies, and pepperoni. Try it! Your family may just have more fun making it than eating it! Save money on bakery items too by baking homemade cookies. These are so inexpensive to make, and easy too.

2. Why not rent a movie instead of going out to a new box buster hit? You will save nearly $25 for a family of four. If you are having money problems, cancel those high-priced cable subscriptions like HBO, Cinemax, etc. These are just one more extra that you could probably live without.

3. Watch your favorite team instead of paying those high-ticket prices. You can save hundreds of dollars by just watching the game at home instead. Let's face it, we usually see more this way anyhow. You can save money this way on concerts too. Have a concert or sport theme part. Charge a buck a person admission and order a pay-per-view concert or sporting event!Remember that there is always a creative solution to almost any financial problem. Many times, we just need to decide what is more important to us. Hopefully this article was able to help you lower your costs. By seeing the exact amount that we spend monthly on entertainment and other "extras", we often see where to modify our budget. Remember to use common sense and what works the best for you when crafting your household budget.