Creating A Budget: As Easy As 1…2…3

home-budget-01One of the biggest challenges that teens and college students face with their finances is budgeting. The word budgeting can seem like a time consuming and complex task; however, creating a budget can be simple and save time and money in the long run. Start budgeting your money by following Money MindEd’s three easy steps to creating a monthly budget.

Step One: The first step to creating your budget is determining your monthly income and expenses. Try keeping a money diary for a month. Record you’re income, money earned, such as a part time job, allowance, or gift money and your expenses, money spent or set aside for saving. At the end add up your entries to determine your monthly income and expenses. Read more…

Great Summer Vacation Ideas – On A Budget

summer travel on a budgetSummer is finally here, and with summer often comes summer vacation! To help you vacation on a budget, we have compile 7 great tips that will allow you to have a great vacation without over extending yourself!
1) Budget: First and foremost you must establish a travel budget. This can be done one of two ways. Option one is to look at your current savings and carve out a dollar amount you feel comfortable spending being sure not to dip into your emergency fund.Option two is to save monthly specifically for your yearly travel.  By setting aside a flat dollar amount per month towards your vacation you should be able to save your desired amount.  Don’t forget to stick to your budget!! Read more…