Est. 1966 · A Non-Profit Organization

Does "Budget" Sound Too Much Like "Diet?"

If so, it's probably destined to fail. So how about a more fun "spending plan" instead?

Every year, after the spending binge of the holiday season, the financial hangover hits as consumers everywhere feel the pain. Many wake up January 1 and make the same old tired resolution: THIS time, we will make a budget and stick to it for once!

But just like the diets we start in January and are long forgotten by bikini season in June, that strict budget is often tossed aside with the first temptation we can't refuse. If you budget by denying yourself any extras at all, you'll end up so frustrated that you're actually likely to splurge recklessly.

How can you stick to that financial regimen this time without giving in?

Start by intentionally changing your perceptions. Rather than a "budget" that seems to deny you the things you want in life, make a "spending plan" that gives you the freedom to enjoy the things that are really important to you without guilt. View your finances - no matter how meager you might think they are - as an opportunity to plan ahead and purposefully choose how you "get" to spend, rather than starting from a perspective that resources are so scarce you "can't do anything."

You'll enjoy that one nice meal out each week much more if you don't feel like it's breaking the bank. Maybe you can pay for it by packing lunches for work instead of grabbing fast food. Decide what treats are most important to you. If you can't afford dinner and a movie every week, can you trade that for lunch and a $1 DVD rental? Do you really watch that cable movie channel enough for the extra $15 it costs you each month, or would two movie matinees be a better use of those funds?

The empowered feeling you'll get from spending as planned, rather than failing to deny yourself enough to stay on your budget, will bring all your financial goals that much closer. Need more ideas on how to make your plan work? Think you have too much debt to ever follow through with your plan? Get professional help to make that spending plan a dream come true by calling our certified counselors for a FREE appointment at 800-213-2227.

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