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Day 16
Create a Budget
With the economy in the tank, it’s more important than ever to tighten our
belts and get our finances under control. The most effective tool to do this
is the lowly budget. I’ve had an on-again off-again thing with budgets. But
when I’ve used them, my financial situation always improved. Of course,
what ends up happening is that I get lazy, stop making time to review my
budget, and fall back into just sort of winging it with my finances. While
I don’t start spending like a high roller, I’ve noticed that when I’m not following
a budget, my financial situation stagnates and doesn’t improve. And
as men, especially as men taking this 30-Day challenge, we’re all about
continual improvement. So today we’ll be creating a budget. Let’s go.
The Benefits of Having a Budget
1. Puts you in control. A man is always in control. He’s in charge. But
when you don’t have a budget, your money controls you instead of the
other way around. You want to be the man with a plan, not the man
floating along with his head in the clouds.
2. Reduces stress. If you don’t keep a budget, you’re inevitably going
to run into a situation where you don’t have a clue about how much
money you have in your account, and you’ll end up incurring some
sort of overdraft charge. Not knowing how much money you have
at your disposal can create a lot of unneeded stress. You don’t know
if you’re check is going to bounce; you don’t know if you’re going to
have enough money for the month’s rent; you don’t know how you’ll
pay for an emergency if it arises. By having a budget, you can know