Any average family representsa kind of small economic model of the state, which necessarily includes such a concept as a budget. Much depends on how many mandatory expense items there are and what the average monthly income is. And it is imperative to learn how to properly plan and distribute money. After all, this is not only a way to save money, but also an opportunity to motivate children by personal example to be careful with finances and with those things that are still easy for them. And since in most cases it is you, the housewives, who are doing the main household chores, you will have to master the main techniques of how to save money in the family so as not to lead it to default.
Basic ways of home saving
First of all, it is important to understand what the question isrational distribution of the family budget consists of two main aspects - psychological and mathematical. In the first case, we will talk about unnecessary purchases, on which money is spent impulsively, without obvious need. After all, momentary desire is often stronger than the arguments of reason, and we buy something that we can easily do without. For example, women buy another dress, lipstick or perfume only because store consultants suddenly draw their attention to a very good discount. And men can make ill-considered purchases, especially if it concerns the entertainment sector. Therefore, each family should take on board such advice as, for example, dividing planned expenses into two parts: mandatory and optional. The result in the form of money saved in the very first month will please you and the rest of the family. To ensure that such a useful undertaking does not fade away, it would not be superfluous to outline, in addition to global goals, those that can be achieved in the foreseeable future. For example, allocate part of the saved money for going to the cinema, a trip to a water park or a trip to nature. The essence of the mathematical approach to the correct distribution of the family budget is to immediately determine how much money you should allocate for:
- rent and utility bills;
- products and medicines;
- household chemistry;
- clothes and entertainment.
But you should clearly understand how much money there will bego to the above categories, and determine the minimum and maximum amounts for each of them. After all, the amount of expenses will depend on the size of the monthly total family income. Get a notebook in which you should write down the family's earnings for the month and all its expenses, both mandatory and additional. Perhaps, at first it is better to live in a familiar mode, without saving. This will help to create a real picture of what, in your opinion, most of the money is spent on. After analyzing the records, you will be able to quickly understand in which moments you should be more economical.
Why can not we postpone the priority expenses?
So, according to the psychological approach tothe issue of saving the family budget, you have set your priorities correctly, and using mathematics, you know all the amounts of the monthly inevitable expenses. But this is not enough, so you need to use the first rule of frugality. It consists of making all mandatory purchases and paying bills within one or two days after your family members have received their salaries. But why should those who are trying to save hurry to solve these issues? Everything is very simple and can be explained by the usual human factor. After all, if you have a large sum of money at your disposal, you want to relax and please yourself and your loved ones with some pleasant purchases or entertainment. Why not, because your funds still allow it? Of course, this is very good, you need to rest, enjoy life too. But very often after such ill-considered spending, you find yourself in a situation where there are at least ten more days until the next salary, and there is only money left for rent and utilities. And there are still expenses for food, kindergarten, developmental classes, sports sections or dancing. Surely, someone in the family will need to buy clothes or shoes, perhaps someone's birthday or another holiday is coming up. So it turns out that there was not as much free money as it seemed. Therefore, it is better to immediately after receiving your salary to close all issues related to mandatory payments and plan the rest of the expected expenses. And then, based on the remaining amount, think about entertainment and pleasure. Believe me, the funds that you will ultimately have in your hands will not allow you to squander everything without looking back, as could happen with a larger sum of money in the first few days after salary.
Divide and postpone
The second rule is distribution, andit will help you accurately account for all upcoming expenses. To do this, at first, get yourself envelopes that you label according to the planned expenses, for example, "rent and utilities", "grocery", "kindergarten, sports, dancing", "gifts for the holidays" and so on. Do not forget about the envelope with the inscription "savings". Train yourself to distribute money on these, so to speak, "shelves" on the very first day of your salary. The amount that should be put aside in an envelope called "savings" should be at least 10% of the total family income. If you manage to save more money, then this is great, if less - analyze the expenses. However, do not forget that only adults can often deny themselves everything for the sake of global goals, and not all of them. If there are children in your family, do not deprive them of entertainment. Just introduce feasible restrictions and reorient them a little. For example, is your family used to going to a shopping and entertainment center on weekends and spending a lot of time there, leaving a tidy sum of money? This tradition should be adjusted, while keeping the main idea - to spend time together. In the warm season, have a picnic in the nearest park or just walk around the city: children will be able to breathe fresh air, run and stretch, and parents will be able to remember the period of love and walk holding hands, like in the old days. In winter, the whole family can make a snowman, go sledding, play snowballs. Of course, sometimes the weather does not allow you to actively spend time outside, but in any case, you will visit the entertainment center less often. And this will have a positive effect on your family budget also in the sense that it will allow you to save on medicines. After all, in the winter, the risk of catching a viral infection in places with a large crowd of people is very high. Therefore, if you can’t walk outside together, then introduce another tradition, for example, make pies or dumplings with the whole family. And at home, and everyone is busy, and fun.
We eat at home, cook for ourselves and attend sales
This is how smoothly we approached one ofthe most expensive items of expenditure, namely, the funds spent on food. First of all, you should determine how much money the family spends on food in 10 days. To do this, record what and in what quantities was bought during this time. Then again, you will need an analysis. Carefully study the list, and if it contains a large number of semi-finished products, chips, sweets and cakes, then in principle the answer to the question of where to save money can be closed. Many women in the eternal hustle and bustle try not to waste time on cooking at least on weekdays, and buy dumplings, vareniki, cutlets and sausages in the store. And even salads from supermarkets are often included in the family dinner. Of course, it is faster and easier. But it is clearly not cheaper and, moreover, not healthier than natural home-cooked meals. Therefore, in order to save money and maintain the health of yourself and your family members, get rid of the habit of eating ready-made food. And when you go to the supermarket again, give preference to meat, fish and vegetables, and leave the dumplings and sausages for the bachelors. In order not to turn the process of preparing dinner into torture for yourself after a hard day at work, make homemade preserves on the weekends and freeze them. Knowing that there are semi-finished products in the refrigerator, you will not buy store-bought ones. Instead of ready-made cakes, bake them yourself. Start with simple recipes and involve children in the process. The taste of mom's pies is the taste of childhood. But, in addition to cooking at home, there are several other ways to reduce costs.
The issue of buying clothes and shoes should also be consideredapproach thoughtfully and buy the necessary new clothes at the end of the season. But do not save on quality - it is better to buy less, but really good things that will last a long time. Try not to make impulsive purchases under the influence of discounts and special offers at the beginning of the season, especially since many stores may inflate the price before hanging a "50% sale" tag on an item. As for the cost of household chemicals, some housewives prefer to wash with laundry soap and wash dishes with flour, soda or mustard. This may be a good way to save, but it is not suitable for everyone. If you are afraid of monthly electricity and water bills, pay attention to the habits of family members. Perhaps the lights are often on in the rooms unnecessarily, all the TVs are on at the same time, and the washing machine and dishwasher are turned on not when fully loaded, but when you want to rinse a couple of plates or wash one shirt. Every family faces different situations related to the need to save money. Some are trying to save up to buy a coveted car, some don’t have enough money for a separate home, and some, due to certain circumstances, are forced to temporarily deny themselves everything except the most basic things. However, in our difficult times of crisis, it is useful to master the basics of rational spending even for those of us who do not suffer from a lack of finances. But do not forget that everything should be done in moderation and with common sense. So be economical! We recommend reading:
