Spring is here, and that means it’s time to open the windows, clean out the dust, and give those finances a good cleaning. It’s a time for fresh starts, and if you’re sick of debt and feeling overwhelmed, now is the time to get organized.
Here’s how you can get started giving your finances the spring cleaning they (and you) deserve.
Refresh Your Budget
Going through your budget once a year is a good way to see where you can cut back and redirect funds to more important necessities. This is also a good time to evaluate whether your budget is working for you, and if not, try a different approach. One method of budgeting is the 50/30/20 technique, where you put 50% toward necessary expenses, 30% toward discretionary costs, and 20% toward savings and debt payments.
Organize and Shred Paper
When you’re cleaning out your house this spring, go through those old financial documents and shred them. If you have any important documents, you can digitize them using apps like Scannable, Adobe Scan, or Microsoft Lens for easier financial tracking. Ditching the paper and going digital with your lenders, financial institutions, and other bills also makes managing your finances a greener endeavor.
Run Your Credit Report
Get your free credit report to check for inaccuracies or discrepancies. This will also help you identify suspicious activity, protecting yourself against fraud.You can access your three credit reports (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) for free by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. You won’t get your credit score, but it’s not necessary if you are just checking for what is being reported and if there are any errors listed.
Try the 80/20 Rule for Saving
Cleaning your finances means making sure you have savings in the bank for rainy days. But you might also want to start saving up for the holidays. While this may seem like premature advice, people often don’t start saving for the holidays until the fall when it’s too late. No one likes to start the new year in debt, but they often do. The 80/20 rule designates 80% of your monthly income to necessities and recreation and 20% to savings. Try taking 5% of that and setting it aside for spending later in the year.
Clean Credit Card Debt With a DMP
Credit card debt is often hard to climb out of once it gets high enough, and it’s even truer now with interest rates historically high. A debt management plan through a credit counseling agency can help you consolidate your credit cards and lower your interest rates, making it easier to pay off your unsecured debt and clean up your credit card debt, so you can get that fresh spring start.
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