Max Pixel Image Source: Calculating the bills
There is nothing worse than knowing that you may not be in the best financial state, and yet aren’t sure what you’re supposed to do to make things better. Whether it comes down to managing your finances in middle age or starting to sort finances out in your early 20s, there will come a time where the majority of people will be considering finding better ways to manage their finances.
It’s exhausting because you constantly have to be on the ball to ensure that you don’t overspend, and that can be especially difficult when you have kids to look after that always ask for the latest things on the market – it’s a handful. But as soon as you lose your head and start to stress, the sooner everything gets even harder because not only are you trying to deal with your money issues, but you’re also then having to deal with being on edge all the time in your mind, and that’s not healthy for anyone. So instead, you should be focusing your time on how you can sort out your finances and manage them better, before it’s too late.
Here are some suggestions.
Clear up your debt
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to find yourself stuck in debt, then you will know by now that the longer you wait, the worse it gets. Having said that, sometimes you’re just not in the right circumstances to be able to pay back what you owe, because you have no spare money coming in other than what you have to pay the bills and get the groceries with. One thing that you can do is consolidate your debt with options at debtconsolidation.co. Consolidating means taking out a final loan that is used to pay back all of your outstanding fees in one go. Once they’re all cleared, you only have to put your attention on this one final bill to pay back gradually over time. There are other ways to restore your financial independence too. If you are currently in a difficult situation financially, it might be helpful to reach out to a bankruptcy specialist who can provide legal advice and support. A friend of mine recommended BLC Law Center – Bankruptcy Attorney San Diego if you are based in Southern California and looking for help managing your debts.
Mend your credit score
Hardly anyone has a perfect credit score, and it’s okay if yours is a little off. To improve your credit score, you need to start paying your bills on time and in full. This shows that you anticipate upcoming payments and are sensible enough to have money for those payments. You can also use a credit card to build credit too. You can even apply for a credit card with no credit if you have a poor credit score. Everyone should have at least one credit card in case of any emergencies. As soon as you use a credit card, at the end of the month pay it off in full if you can! If you can afford more than the minimum payment, opt for that option. It’ll work in your favor.
Open a savings account
Believe it or not, most people will actually have a savings account already, but just don’t use it because they forget it’s there, or they find it all too complicated. But it is in fact very simple. As soon as you have any spare money coming in – put it into your savings. When you receive your income, if you’re able to, take a percentage out of those earnings and put it into your savings. If you can do this every month, you will slowly be able to accumulate a nice sum of money. The key to this working is to forget what you’re doing. Set up an automatic bank transfer from your normal account into your savings account, and have that happen once every one or two months. This way you won’t be tempted to tap into it.
Financial advisor
If you still aren’t too sure how to go about managing your finances, or you know that you’re simply no good with handling money, then you may want to arrange a meeting with a financial advisor. These are professionals that can have a look at your circumstances, and then work out the best plan of action to ensure that you are able to keep your head above water.