Top Tips on Managing Your Personal Spending Better…and How This Can Improve Your Career

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Money is the number one cause of stress for Americans, according to a 2015 American Psychological Association poll. A total of 72% of adults surveyed reported feeling stressed about money at least sometimes and 22% admitted to being extremely stressed about their finances.

You may not realize it, but if you’re having trouble managing your spending, it’s probably taking a toll on your work. Stress over finances can cause a myriad of health problems, including ulcers, headaches, depression, and muscle tension. It’s hard to be productive at your job when money woes have made you physically and emotionally ill. Learn how to stop this cycle once and for all.

4 Tips to Better Manage Your Personal Spending

Incorporate these tips into your lifestyle to get your finances under control.

Create a Budget

It’s hard to keep your spending under control if you don’t have a budget, so it’s time to create one. List all your fixed monthly expenses — rent or mortgage, car payment, childcare costs, etc. — and your variable expenses — clothing, food, utilities, etc. Subtract these monthly outflows from your total income to see how much you have left at the end of each month. You can’t do much about your fixed expenses, but you can control how much you spend on many variable expenses. Set spending limits for yourself, so you can pay all your bills each month and still have money left to put aside in savings.

Keep Credit Card Spending to a Minimum

If using a credit card causes you to overspend, switch to another primary form of payment. Start paying for your purchases with your debit card or even cash, as seeing your available balance decrease in real-time should be enough to keep your spending in check. Of course, it’s still wise to keep a credit card in your pocket for emergencies, but resist the temptation to use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Look for Coupons, Deals, and Freebies

Following a budget doesn’t mean you can’t eat out, go shopping, and travel — it just means you need to be a bit savvier with your purchases. Use discount sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, Gilt City, and Travelzoo to find deep discounts on restaurants, spas, hotels, and more. Additionally, you can find coupons for groceries and household items in the free flyers that are delivered with your mail each week, so start taking advantage of these deals.

Set Payment Reminders for Your Monthly Bills

Late fees can really add up fast. If you have trouble remembering to pay your bills on time, create reminder alerts or set your account to autopay. This should improve your credit score and put money back in your wallet. It doesn’t make sense to ever miss a due date if the money is just sitting in your account waiting to be withdrawn.

ECS provides compliant professional payrolling and independent contractor management services. We partner with staffing firms and businesses of all sizes — in a wide range of industries — including Fortune 500 companies, defense contractors, information technology, accounting, and engineering firms. Contact us today discuss a partnership!

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