Budgeting For A Family
Finances can seem easy with people who are only responsible for the day to day care of themselves. The pressure seems to be lifted when making decisions regarding food, housing, and transportation only includes one person. But that pressure gets added on the moment that person has taken on the responsibility of taking care of a family. Especially a growing one.
Every family has different financial responsibilities and a variety of means to fulfill them. There are times where meeting these responsibilities can create difficulty for them. Covid-19 is one area that has created a strain as businesses have closed and costs of living continue to rise. With a lot of uncertainty regarding the long term effects of a global pandemic, people are finding that there has to be even more adjustments to making sure that their families are taken care of. Father George Rutler understands the stress that can occur especially in unprecedented times.
Some ways that budgeting can be difficult is when there are larger members in the family that range in ages. Providing a safe home and ensuring that children have the best meals and education can bring a lot of pressure to parents. Expenses may fluctuate from month to month and surprise emergency expenses can arise that can bring a lot of strain onto those that are providing. Finding the time itself can pose a challenge in households that juggle a lot of time consuming responsibilities. Implementing and sticking to a budget plan can be challenging as well.
Despite its difficulty, budgeting is still a great way to maximize resources for every family and sometimes making small, gradual steps towards having a good budget is what is needed.
One of the most important things to do when beginning to budget is identifying total income and required expenses like housing, transportation, education, food, and debt. Putting it in the forefront of awareness allows for families to be able to position themselves to have the best safeguard for their finances. It allows for families to be able to prepare for emergencies and fluctuation of expenses as they arise. While it is important to eliminate as much debt as soon as possible, it is important to assess how much is doable and break it down into goals. If expenses exceed income, find what areas can be cut. Like eating out less, shopping at low cost grocery stores, or changing minor habits like turning off the lights when not in a room. Carpooling with other families is also a great way to maximize cutting down costs.
Father George Rutler understands that having a stable budget may not be a realistic option for some families and wants to remind those in this position to not be discouraged. Taking small steps is better than none at all. Work towards prioritizing your home and begin to start little by little to create a fund for emergencies. This can be done by setting aside loose change and putting them into a savings account.
