Silvana Saldisuri
07/29/2021 6:02 AM
Clarín.com
Services
Updated 7/29/2021 6:02 AM
Each person has their own way of facing
economic crises
, such as the one the country is currently going through, but there is a
common denominator
which is the redistribution of how income is spent.
In this context, the consciousness factor is activated to take precautions when
manipulating the wallet
and to be able to handle the money correctly.
Few people wonder
how much money they would save
, each month, if they avoided falling into those
avoidable expenses
that consume the budget without realizing it.
The
way in which it is spent
defines without a doubt how much money comes out of the pockets and if it will be enough to make other payments or not, so it is essential to first recognize what are the
silent expenses
that end up ruining finances and then know how to avoid them and thus reorganize the personal budget.
Obviously,
the process will take some time
and you will have to be more attentive than usual, but in the end it will be worth it.
The way it is spent definitely defines how much money comes out of the pockets and if it will be enough to make other payments or not.
Photo: Archive
What are the ant expenses?
They are
consumptions of small amounts
that apparently do not affect the budget but, in reality, have a
high impact on personal
or family
finances
.
It is about frequent purchases of things that are not really necessary.
It is very common that when thinking about your expenses, the person focuses on the most significant ones, such as the debt of a car or a house or in the purchases with the card.
Per
Or it's the
small daily expenses
that
could be draining your pocket
.
They are not usually measured because there is no awareness of their need and real impact.
These are
some examples
of the most common ant expenses:
The
coffee that is purchased over
every day, which can be replaced by breakfast at home before leaving.
The
cravings for sweets
.
Eating out of the home
.
Instead, you can pack your lunch to work, or cut back on outings if it's just for distraction.
Taxi rides
.
Evaluate if you can opt for cheaper alternative means of transport
Food delivery through applications
.
To avoid paying the extra cost for shipping, place the order in time and go to pick it up personally.
Any
impulse purchase
.
Think well before if what you are about to acquire is necessary.
For those people who have a low income, it is key to identify these expenses to try to
eliminate them as much as possible
.
What are phantom expenses?
They are the ones that
are done automatically, they are not seen
.
They are non-basic expenses and sometimes the full potential is not brought out.
For convenience they are usually redirected to the credit card.
They are paid every month
on the same date or every monthly payment.
The most common examples are:
Mobile phone plan
, you must make sure that you are using what it costs, sometimes you pay for the type of equipment you have and not for the use that is given.
Spotify account
.
Wondering if it really is used so often as to keep the Premium version.
Netflix account.
If it is only used on weekends and there is a need to cut expenses, they probably won't be accounting for 4 days a month.
Additional fees for basic services.
Sometimes fees are charged for unsolicited services.
There are small daily expenses that could be draining your pocket.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
How to avoid ant expenses and
ghost?
Both expenses are hardly perceived
and that is why at the end of the month,
even if they are small, they end up being a big expense.
Without thinking, they could make you resort to loans or debts snowballing if the problem is not addressed.
To be able to recognize them and stop them from entering these categories, it
is necessary that they be included in the budget
.
But before that you must make an assessment of how much use they are given.
If it is worthwhile to continue spending, then the budget should be modified and space for those expenses should be made.
Otherwise they must be canceled.
Keeping a budget requires some consistency when recording expenses.
Photo: Shutterstock.
How to create a budget to record expenses?
Putting together a budget
is the first step to have greater clarity about income and expenses, and
to achieve the planned goals and objectives
, which will give us a better scenario of our financial reality. In this sense, it is recommended to start with an analysis of the
fixed and variable expenses
that are made, including how much money can be saved taking this amount into account.
“A budget is the main tool for our
personal finances to have order
.
If you do not know how much you enter and how much you spend, it becomes very difficult to keep a healthy control, and understand where the money is going, ”
Gabriela Totaro
,
founder of GT Financial Education and teacher at InvertirOnline,
told
Clarín
.
How often should a budget be made?
As Totaro explained,
at the beginning
, the budgeting
should be daily
, since we must quickly take control of finances.
And repeat it for 21 days, because in that period it becomes a habit and then it can be sustained over time.
At a later stage
, the budget
can become monthly
and, once we master it, we can start planning based on whether our goals are short, medium or long term.
Budgeting
requires some consistency when it comes to recording expenses if the goal is to make it work.
There is no better budget than another, only ways of keeping family accounts that are better suited to one lifestyle than another.
A budget is the main tool so that our personal finances have an order.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
3 Steps to Budgeting: Basic Concepts to Consider:
In a first stage, although a simple notebook and pencil can be used, it is recommended to take advantage of technology and mark expenses on spreadsheets.
In this way, the entire analysis stage will be faster and easier.
Income:
make a list with the net money of the salary that enters the home after having made all the deductions, such as taxes, social work, etc.
Earnings:
record separately the extra income that does not come only from the labor source.
Expenses:
write down all the things the money is spent on.
It is important to consider all expenses such as rent, services, as well as expenses that appear periodically such as car insurance and medical bills, pharmacy, food, etc ...
Separate fixed expenses and variable expenses:
Fixed expenses:
are those that are made every month, and whose amounts are almost always the same, in addition to being a necessary part of your daily life;
for example, housing expenses such as mortgage or rent, car fees, cable, internet, insurance, cell phone, etc. These expenses are generally essential and unlikely to change in budget.
Variable expenses:
are those that change from month to month, and include purchases of fuel, entertainment, gifts, etc.
This category will be very important when making adjustments, due to its variable nature.
LN
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