Don’t Forget These 4 Household Budget Categories When Making Your Financial Plan

Last updated on September 1st, 2022 at 05:17 pm

One of the most important ways to stay on a solid financial footing is to have a budget. We all know we need to account for expenses like housing, utilities, food, and healthcare in our budget. But, is there anything we’re missing? 

Yes, there just may be! If you haven’t already, be sure to include these household budget categories as you review your finances.

Don’t Forget These Household Budget Categories:

Emergency Expenses

Every month, you should be setting aside a small portion of your budget into a savings account. This will become your emergency fund. 

Why do you need an emergency fund? Without an emergency fund, you might not be able to afford urgent, unplanned expenses. This will make a stressful situation all the more stressful.

What about using the money in your checking account? Even if there’s enough to cover the expense in your checking account, using this money isn’t the best idea. You could end up using money reserved for monthly essentials, like utility bills and groceries. 

With an emergency fund, you can pay for an urgent, unplanned expense without impacting your budget whatsoever. Your checking account will go untouched. You’ll still have the money you need for your essentials, so you don’t have to worry about missing the due date of a utility bill or coming up short at the cash register when buying groceries.

If you don’t have enough savings in your emergency fund, there are still payment alternatives. You could use a credit card to cover an urgent expense, or you could look into online loans as a solution. As long as you meet all of the requirements for an online loan, you can fill out an application, and see if this might be a short-term solution.  

Debt Payments

Don’t make debt payments an afterthought. By putting this responsibility on the back burner, you risk it getting out of control. Your debts could accumulate too much interest and become too challenging for you to pay off. So, make debt repayment a top priority by turning it into a budgeting category.

How much should you put towards this budgeting category? It all depends on your debt load. You’ll want to have enough that you can cover your monthly bills without trouble. You’ll also want to cover more than the minimum payment for your credit balances. Only paying the minimum amount due is never an effective long-term strategy. Your debt load will continue to grow with interest and extend your repayment plan.

Special Occasions

Your calendar is likely filled with special occasions like birthdays, weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, and of course, holidays and vacations. All of these cost money, whether it’s for outfits, gifts, or travel and accommodations. You’ll want to prepare your budget for these expenses.

Take a close look at your calendar for the upcoming year. How many weddings have you RSPVed to? Do you have vacation plans? How many important birthdays will you need to buy gifts for? How many baby showers can you expect to get invited to by the end of the year? This information should help you estimate how much money you’ll need to save.

Future Savings

A household budget can do more than keep you on track for your short-term goals. It can help you reach your future goals, too.

Do you want to renovate your home in a few years? Do you want to start a college fund for your kids? Do you need a comfortable nest egg for your retirement? Then, you should start saving for these future goals right away. Carve out a part of your budget for these important categories now — you’ll thank yourself later.

All of these household budget categories are crucial.  Whatever you do, don’t leave them out of your financial plan.

Also read:
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