Coping with unemployment or lay off.

First things first there aren’t any quick fixes. If it was me I would:

Cut expenses back  to the bone: no cable television, no high-speed internet, no extra phones. I’d take public transportation when possible. Make my coffee at home and take it with me rather than buying one.

Take a job at a grocery store or a restaurant or someplace else with low qualifications. (Actually, I might try to get two jobs.) This is just a stop-gap measure to bring in some small income to help with the bills while you continuing to look for better work. It’s not a career change.

Seek the advice of a career counsellor. Think about your qualifications, what can you do with this extra free time between your new jobs to improve your employ-ability.

I’d tap into my social network. Word of mouth helps, more eyes and ears looking for your next job can give you more opportunities.  I’d let my friends and family now about my situation. I’d even contact people at other companies and organizations with whom I’d had regular contact at my previous job.

Attend job fairs, scour want ads. Sign up at Career One, Seek.com, and do resume drops in your local area.

Contact my creditors and explain the situation.

When I found a new job, I would be certain to bolster my emergency fund so that I would have more of a cushion to fall back on if it was to ever happen in the future

Is your money controlling you?

Are you controlling your money or is it controlling you?

Fact: Most people have to admit at some point in there lives that the later of the two and thats not a great place to be.

• Are you being forced deeper into debt?
• Having to make unwise financial decisions, ie. pay day loans, pawn brokers?
• Inability to save?
• Conflict in your relationships? Stressed out?

Take back control of your finance's.

All you need to do is employ some simple tactics to start a u-turn on your road to debt, get started saving and  know your finances. Get back in control of your money. Your probably thinking how can the words simple and budgeting possibly exist in the same sentence. Don't stress budgeting is very simple we are the ones that make it hard on ourselves by using basic budgeting method's and planing for the long term as well as the short term. What we want to do is tailor a solution that is specific to you but flexible so as your life changes so dose your budget.

Back to the basic's
Always spend less then you earn. seems pretty simple but a lot of people either choose to ignore that advice or there expenses simple just keep adding up. Lets face it, its human nature to want more but living beyond your means isn't sustainable. You might get buy for a year or even two but it eventually catches up with you and the hole you dig yourself into can sometimes be insurmountably.

Avoid unsecured debt's
It's unrealistic to think you can make it threw life with no debt what so ever and honestly some debts are good. What! Don't shun me yet. Some debts can have a positive effect on your overall financial health because they help your secure capital assets like your home. However the type of debt's we want to avoid or keep to a minimum are, credit card debts, pay day loans, high interest unsecured loans and others of the like. i can pretty much guarantee they will keep your personal budgets from balancing.

Be Prepared.
I know I've said this before and ill say it again. Be prepared for anything, life's ever changing and we both know when something something starts going right then there will be something to throw a spanner in the works.
What you need is what my Nan calls a rainy day fund. Money you save and don't touch unless there is an emergency or unexpected expense. I sometimes add a little extra and buy a big ticket item but there must alway be enough there to cover me is anything goes wrong. For example, i just bought my partner and i two brand new laptops, nice and expensive ones, now even after taking those out of my account i was still left with  4500 dollars of rainy day money.

Make the Most of what you Have
Again this means living within your financial means and keep in mind your long term financial goals, other wise is like just having the money sitting there. Why would you work so hard for your money just for that, instead put your money to use. My suggestion is pipelines, but ill cover that off in another post.

Now budgeting has the tendancy to uncover some unwelcome truths, that can make it a little scary or painful. Unfortunatly you'll just have to deal with it, a budget is only as good as the info its based on. So be honest with yourselves and paint a clear picture of both your income and expenses. Simple ways to do that include keeping a expense journal, keeping a detailed record of all your expenses gives you a look at where you can cut back, or collecting your receipts. They are bith great ways to work out where all your money goes.

Till next time keep these in mind they help,
Emily,

HOW TO BUDGET! FIVE QUICK EASY STEPS!

STEP # 1
Write down all your expenses, starting with living expenses, (ie. Rent, Food, Transport to and from work, Savings). Then your utilities, (ie. Power, Gas, Water), followed by your lifestyle expenses, (ie. Mobile, House phone, Austar, Transport for fun, Spending,).

STEP # 2
Write down your net income, (net income is your income after tax).

Step # 3
Keep a portion of your income to save before your expenses come out.
Its all about discipline! Saving a little bit at a time now and have a huge amount later!

STEP # 4
Evaluate your life! There is a lot of money to be found in your everyday life. Honestly most people are hem ridging money. Small changes in your life can make a huge difference. Try buying raw ingredients, generic brand groceries and home supplies. You’ll not inconvenience your self and save a few dollars a week to put away. Try buying cereal and taking it with you instead of buying breakfast on the way to work. Much cheaper!

STEP # 5
WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER OR IN EXCEL!
Its easy to do up a budget! Give it a go! If you need help or have any questions, send me an email and ill help you!

Budgeting! Importaint?

BUDGETING! IT’S WORTH THE TROUBLE!


Budgeting is a simple, logical way to improve you life and to reach your goals but people seem to  be making excuses why they don’t or cant budget. Trust me its easy! Saving your money is simple, we over complicate thinks and sabotage ourselves from the get go. Saving is a part of life and is you do it right it’s easy and you’ll reach your goals faster! Buying your first car? Need a deposit? Then make a few small changes to your lifestyle, save some money, budget and get where you want to go!


INCOME! LARGE OR SMALL BUDGETING IS ESSENTAL!
You can save money on all most any amount with a budget and realistic goals! I  currently have an income of less than 200 a week! Yet I manage to pay for all my expenses, save and do and buy the expensive I need. That’s just me! A good friend of mine on the other hand makes 800 a week and he manages to save nothing! That’s just mind boggling to me! With that sort of income id be a very happy girl! ‘Oh the shoes I could buy!’


HAVE A GOAL!
What are you saving for? A car? Bond money? A home? Savings is always a good idea but when you have a goal you’re saving towards, or more likely to be motivated to make those small everyday scarifies towards it. Write down your goals! Priorities them and get on your way to your better future!


PRIORITISE!
What do you want more? Your needs obviously come before your wants, common sense right? You’d be surprised how many people forget this when they something enough! Time restrictions need to be taken into account here so you don’t miss out!


RECORD EVERYTHING!
Looking at your past spending and expenses will give you an idea of your spending habits. Receipts are your friend here! This way you can see what bad spending habits you can replace with better, cheaper ones. Instead of buying breakfast everyday before on your way to work, buy your favorite cereal, take it with you and leave it there. Be smarter with your money!


OVER BUDGET SLIGHTLY! 
If you usually pay $37 at the pharmacy on average a month then budgeting $40 a month towards that would be a smart move. Those few dollars a month add up if y don’t end up using them and if you do, its always better safe then sorry. Also over estimate how much your goal will cost you slightly and don’t stop saving once you finally reach your goal!


PRIORITISE!
What do you want more? The things you need obviously come before the things you want, sounds like common sense right? You’d think so but you’d be surprised how many people I know that over spend on the things they want or when they go shopping and then cant afford to eat the next week. Don’t get behind. Needs first! Also take into account here any time restrictions.


REWARD YOURSELF!
Working hard and sacrificing things towards your goals will be hard to stick too unless your incredibly motivated. So reward yourself with something little just for your enjoyment once a week. Keep it small. Keep it sensible. For example I get my nails done once a month for 40 dollars that’s a fortnights reward for me, I might buy a little lip gloss one week or tanning cream. Budget this! Between 15 and 20 a week should do it!
When you do up your budget, don’t forget to put aside some spending money. Incase of emergency, or if you need to buy one off items you have forgotten to budget for. Like a extra blanket if it’s a  cold winter.


SAVE EVERYTHING!
My silver change lives in a old pasta jar on my dresser and every night I empty my silver change from my wallet and pockets into it. Once a month I take this to the bank and put it threw the change machine and into my account. I don’t include this in my budget.


TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR MONEY
Know how much money you have. It can be a depressing task but it’s necessary. I promise! Be aware. Know where every dollar goes. Do you need to spend it? Why you need to spend it. Be honest! You’ll see how much money you waste. These things aren’t going to help you get where you’re going at all. Guilt is not going to get you to your financial goals any faster either, it will probably discourage you from making progress.


BE RESPONIBLE! BE AWARE!
Budgets can accomplish at least one thing: making you feel guilty. You spent way too much this month on dinners and alcohol. What’s going to happen next month? Are you going to be able to afford to live? Do you need to borrow money? Did you categorize your expenses correctly? Did surprise expenses like a higher then expected power bill, throw your budget off, causing you to feel like you’re a financial failure?
If you’ve buried your head in the sand because you’re in a house you can’t afford, or your spending is out of control…that’s a reality. Deal with it! Some guilt may be just what you need to drive you back to reality and face up to it. Don’t take the ‘wait and see’ approach and hope that it will be okay next month.
Budgets do provide one good thing: awareness. Making a list of all your income and expenses, savings and debts can be incredibly valuable. Taking the time to see your current financial picture can give you a sense of confidence and a new way of thinking about money in your day-to-day decisions.


SURPRISE EXPENSES & BUDGETING IS HARD BUT WORTH IT!
Surprise expenses are learning experiences. You won’t keep being surprised. It’s almost eerie how accurately you can predict your outflows when you’ve been budgeting frequently. Budgets are Hard. Yes, this is a legitimate reason. There’s a saying, “No pain, no gain,” but that doesn’t mean pain always leads to gain. Budgets take a lot of time to set up. It takes time to choose a category for every expense. It takes time to “fix” every month when the numbers don’t work out perfectly. It’s worth it!
That’s budgeting, and it’s incredibly valuable.

Next time ill show you how to set up your budget!

Post was written by me and can also be seen on www.prolifetips.com.