One of the most daunting and intimidating things for me in the past year has been the topic of finances. I have always been very good with my finances. I would always be saving and on top of my credit card payments. The only problem now is that I wasn't used to having financial obligations, like rent and electricity, the most I ever had to worry about was my gas and sometimes tuition.
Things changed quickly because now, I am both married and in law school both of which are financially straining things. So I have decided to begin a budgeting and organization system so that I can minimize my loans and prevent the financial arguments that many couples deal with.
People my age don't realize the importance of financial stability, they know they want money, but they don't know how to handle it. There are so many benefits to being organized both now and in the future.
Before I began working on organizing my finances, I looked for some good resources. Without even realizing it I had already been using a great resource. Im referring to the website mint.com. (I am not getting paid for this just sharing my opinion!) The creator is Intuit, which is known for its finance programs. I had been using the site for a few years without realizing all it had to offer.
This week when I sat with my husband to use the site we were able to accomplish so much. We easily and quickly created a budget, tracked our spending, and calculated how much we have left to pay his car. We were even able to set goals for ourselves, like saving to purchase a home. While tracking our spending, we were able to spot monthly memberships that we were incurring but not using, saving us at least $40 a month! (Thats a date night!)
Using a tool like this to help you is great, not only is it free but it is also easy to use. They have a computer and phone app, so that you can constantly be up to date on how you're keeping up with your budget.
I also found another site this time through Pinterest, its called The Nest Effect. This woman is very clever! She has so many organizing ideas for all different aspects of your life. The ones I found most interesting and relevant for this moment were her binder projects! The one I have started for myself is the Home Management Binder. She gives you some printables for your own binder but the rest she sells in a package. You can probably make them yourself, but either way she has great ideas that look great, so I will definitely be following her advice to help me organize!
I'll post a few pictures of my binder when Im done!
- Mrs. Ashley Diaz
