5 Resources that will Help you be Fiscally Responsible

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

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Financial security does not usually come by chance. It takes hard work and discipline to become fiscally responsible, but it is something that is well within your reach. When you take the necessary steps to be in control of your finances, your financial health will start to improve immediately.

Make a budget

This looks different for everyone, but creating a budget helps ensure that you are paving the way to financial repair. The thing with a budget, is that you need to stick to it. It sounds easier than it is, but once you decide on how to create a personalized budget, sticking to it a few months in a row will lead to it becoming habit. Take a good hard look at how you are spending your money. Decide how much of what you are earning that you would like to allocate to certain categories. A common formula is 60% to necessities, 30% for non-essential expenses, and 10% to save or invest. This is not a given, but rather a suggestion. Tweak it until you find what makes sense for you, and then continue to use it for a set amount of time to see how you are doing. Chances are high you will see improvement in your overall financial health starting to take place. You can adjust it as you go, but only adjust it to what works in your favor, for your overall goal of being fiscally responsible.

Reduce Credit Card Debt

Credit cards can offer a convenient way to pay for things, but they also come with a price, and sometimes quite a hefty one. Interest rates on this type of credit can add up fast, especially if you have too many of them. Reduce or eliminate credit card debt with a loan, consolidate all credit onto one card, or use the snowball method (paying off the smallest debt, then the next smallest debt, etc., until you are working on just one or a few charges) to get that credit card debt gone. Once you achieve your goal, be sure to pay off credit cards in full each month to avoid interest rates entirely. It can benefit you to keep your credit cards in use, just make sure you are paying them off before each monthly cycle ends.

Create Emergency Funds

It is inevitable that there will be unexpected things that happen in your life that will require a nice chunk of change. Some of these things could include surprise car repairs, appliance failures, a leaking roof, a friend asking you to be in her wedding, etc. One emergency trip to the dentist or a family member in need of an emergency loan can leave you squandering to stick to your tried-and-true fiscal plan. Being proactive and faithfully contributing to an emergency fund will ensure you survive life’s little surprises, both good and bad, with your bank account still intact. It’s bound to happen, so being smart and making a financial plan for the unknown does make good fiscal sense.

Invest a Little (or a lot)

If your financial budget includes investing, well then invest. It’s a lot easier to get started than you might think, and a plethora of reputable companies are available to help you responsibly place your money in low or moderate risk investments that will help your money grow. Or perhaps you could contribute more to your retirement fund. There are many avenues that you can explore for financial investment and it is worth the time and effort to investigate which ones most appeal to, and make the best sense for you and your budget.

Increase Your Income (no, really)

How does the old saying go? Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to maintaining your fiscal good health. Ensuring that you have more than one viable stream of income is the best way to protect yourself if one dries up or is suddenly gone. Creating multiple streams of income can be done in many forms. It would behoove you to take the necessary action steps needed to add more than one form of consistent income to your financial repertoire.

The time to act is now. When you create a plan using these resources, and stick to it, you will see that it was easier to become fiscally responsible than you may have ever even considered.