Your Month by Month Planner
Let this be the year to sort out anything to do with money by using a month by month planner.
January
• At the beginning of any year, make this the perfect time to get your paperwork and finances organized.
February
• February is the end of the financial tax year; let this be the year you get all your taxes in order and ensure that you are getting all the benefits due to you.
March
• March is a good month to draw up an accurate budget.
• Essentials have to be paid first.
• Start saving this year.
• The best way to save is to organise a debit order that will take a fixed amount off your salary every month.
• Budget for luxury items only after the essentials are paid off.
• When drawing up a budget remember that spending more than you earn will only get you into hot water.
April
• Consolidate debts in April
• Take out a second bond or loan to consolidate your debts; this way you will only pay one lot of interest.
• Something that should be taken into account is that the interest rate of the loan or the bond to consolidate these debts should be lower than that of the debts you are consolidating.
May
• Revisit your long-term insurance.
June
• Revisit any and all investments you have; these include taking an in-depth look and ensuring that you will get the best returns on your investments.
July
• Update your will, and if you do have dependents this is of paramount importance.
August
• Your children will hopefully go onto university after they have completed school; if you have not provided for them in this regard, then taking a long and hard look at how this can be done is essential.
September
• Plan for the end of year festivities; take a long and hard look to see where you can cut a few corners on your budget in order to make provision for those extras.
October, November and December
• Prepare in advance for the shock of January after the long festive period.
With this savvy financial guide you won’t have any more sleepless nights.