The World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Personal Budgeting

Are you starting to feel helpless as your bills pile up and your accumulated debts gain momentum, like a snowboarder blazing downhill after hitting the first straightaway? If so, this book will outline the steps you need to take to gain control over your bills, avoid triggering an avalanche of debt, and even have a surplus each month. ~Larry Burkett While bills continue to arrive on schedule, Larry Burkett says there are many bills which may be unnecessary. What is necessary and what is not? In this guide you can take an honest look at your present spending habits and develop a plan of action to not only get out of debt, but to start saving for vacations or other purchases. Larry makes some great points about credit and how buying items on credit can increase their cost substantially. Suddenly, that couch on sale may not seem like such a bargain when you realize you will be paying double the price. So, how do you get control of your money? Larry Burkett gives practical tips for recording expenses and once you have recorded the necessary items like rent, food and utilities, you can start to find out how much you are spending on entertainment and decide what is really essential. It may take you a year or more to get out of debt, but once you have less bills, you can increase your savings. This book is an invaluable tool for anyone who is leaving home and starting their journey into the independent life. The last thing you want to do is become chained to debt. This book encourages an understanding of basic expenses and shows you how to save money by clipping coupons. I find that those preferred savings cards at grocery stores and rewards cards can save me twenty dollars at a time. You could literally leave a store with your weekly groceries and have saved forty dollars if you can find the right coupons and maximize savings with membership cards. I gave up on brand loyalty a long time ago and this book also shows how brand merchandise sits at eye level. I've never found a quality difference in canned goods, so why spend the extra money? Additional Helpful Sections Include: Starting an Emergency Fund Car Repairs Insurance Charitable Giving Retirement Buying a New Home Larry Burkett warns against "buy-now-pay-later" plans and his book is perfect to read when you are just starting to learn about budgets or want to update your saving strategies. You may also want to read: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. ~The Rebecca Review