10 Tips to Smart Budgeting!

Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

10 Tips To Smart Budgeting!

In no way, shape or form am I good about planning or sticking to a budget. I'm good at spotting a bargain and even better at shopping around for the best prices but sticking to a set budget is one of the things I've had the most hard time with since joining the world of adulthood..I start out my week calculating how much money I'll make, from day to day or hour to hour, what I can spend each day and how much I need to have saved by the end of the week/month and next thing I know the end of the week/month is on me like a vicious hound and I'm opening my wallet to find nothing but lint and old recipes.

Sadly, this happens to me more often than not and lately I've found myself very discouraged, especially when thinking of the upcoming Holidays. With just myself, the kids and my folks living at home its not such an anxiety Roller Coaster but it does send me into a panic all the same when I start thinking of the Holiday get-togethers and of the many gifts I'd like/want to buy. I mean, seriously, who has enough money for Hallowthanksmas anyways?!

Thankfully for my terrible budgeting self I've found this neat bag 'o' tips to help keep myself in check! If you've found yourself slipping in the budgeting department this might be a great little read to help get yourself back on track! 

Envelope budgeting is an age-old way of keeping  track of your funds by dividing it up into envelopes dedicated to categories of expenses. One for car expenses, gas, lunch money, bills, dining out, etc. This concept works particularly well to teach young couples and students how to manage their money.

While some people have found this works, others find that envelopes of cash are just too tempting, and they cheat a little here, a little there, and suddenly bills don't get paid. In this post I'm going to give you some quick tips to budget wisely and use the envelope budgeting concept the modern way, with a pre-paid Visa®  card.

1. Buy a coffee maker. The average American spends $1,092 at coffee shops
2. If carrying cash around in an envelope makes you nervous, try loading up a PayPower™ Visa® Prepaid Card ( https://www.paypower.com/ ) with the funds you have to spend. You can pay your bills online for free, and unlike a credit card there is no credit check and you can track your spending online and reload the card any time.
3. Roll over any unused fund on your pre-paid card to use the next month or into an emergency or fun fund.
4.  Schedule bills to be paid from your card at different times of the month instead of paying them all at once to give you better cash flow.
5. Don't be discouraged if you don't perform perfectly the first month or tow. Getting used to following a budget takes time.Be persistent and you'll succeed.
6. Set aside a portion of your budget for fun. Reward yourself for reaching your budget goals. It gives you something to look forward to!
7. Pre-paid cards for each member of the household gives them a feeling of taking charge of their money and also teaches them about budgeting.
8. Give the kids a re-loadable Visa®  card and then load it up with their allowance monthly. They'll learn how far their dollar goes.
9. 50% of Americans have less than one month of savings saved for emergencies. Direct deposit (https://www.paypower.com/Why-PayPower/account-benefits/prepaid-visa-direct-deposit-bonus) a set amount into a re-loadable card every month and set it aside for emergencies.
10. Set up electronic payments for your bills directly from your pre-paid card. No more lost or stolen check and you can easily view which bills are paid online.

Learn more about the benefits of prepaid cards here (https://www.paypower.com/Why-PayPower)