Give Me My Dam Money! — Financial Advice
As summer passes and the temperatures plummet be careful that you don’t find your funds as low as the mercury. A budget is one of the best ways to ensure you’re being financially responsible.
Stop by Franklin 201 for any financial help needs (Photo courtesy of the UMF Financial Literacy Program).
There are many free resources available to help keep track of your spending. The finance app, Mint, is regarded as one of the best budgeting tools. A great offline alternative is Excel, which has budget templates where you enter your income and expenses. If you choose Excel. I suggest that after filling out the budget you withdraw cash for each budget item (i.e. groceries, gas, fun money, etc.) and put that cash into envelopes. This will give you a visual of the $40 separated for gas money and the $70 for groceries, and help you stick to the parameters you’ve set.
There are many recommendations for exactly how much money to budget for each expense, but it’s really up to you. But remember if you’re able, try to save as much as you can every week. Future you will greatly appreciate it.
If you would like help creating a budget, reach out to the UMF Financial Literacy Peer Education Program by emailing caleb.grover@maine.edu or DM us on Instagram @umf_finlit.