Personal finance is the skill of managing money. It covers the individual’s financial decisions and activities, such as earning, spending, saving, and investing. However, we are often surprised to review our financial condition by the end of the month. Some common question raised:
- Where have all my money gone?
- With my current income, how can I get additional income?
- What is the proper investment worth to my current financial condition?
There are some simple steps we can do to manage personal finance:
- Create simple bookkeeping and consistent to record income and expenses
- Separate your income into at least 3 posts. First for monthly basic needs, then for saving, the last is for investment.
- Evaluate your bookkeeping and expenses every month
Make monthly calculation to find out the total earning and expenses within one month. Review your earning and expenses. Is it surplus, even, or minus?. If your financial position is surplus, separate the money left into saving. Maintain the surplus for the following months. It would be better if you can improve it.
You should start to be more careful when your financial position is even. This condition may cause a problem when unexpected things occur, such as for medical treatment or other incidental needs. Make a simple analysis to your financial record. Check the expenses post to find out whether the expenses are for necessary things or less necessary. When you find out that more money is spent on unnecessary things, you should commit to yourself that next month you have to stop spending money for less necessary things. Then what shall we do to stop that desire? Keep yourself busy and more productive. These will reduce your expenses and increase your income. Having other activities or side jobs, such as running an online shop, being re-seller, or part timer is the activities that increase your income.
The most critical condition is when your financial position is the minus. It means your expenses are bigger than your income. If you don’t respond it quickly, your financial condition will get worse. There should be a huge effort in your life to earn more income or change your lifestyle.
It can be concluded that managing personal finance is very simple. The most important point is you have to recognize your financial position first, then review which part should be revised or improved. Spend money wisely and use your money that worth of your future.
