It would not surprise me if almost every ‘bloke’ has an ice-cream container full of bits and pieces in his garage or shed.
It’ll have some screws, maybe some nails, an assortment of nuts and bolts, some washers and various other bits and pieces in it, and they’ll be all mixed up in a shambles.
Something like the image above!
Total Chaos
Scrounging around in the ice-cream container when working on an urgent job our ‘bloke’ can be heard saying something about sorting them out ‘one day’, however that one day almost never comes!
I have to admit that I am your typical bloke and I too have a few such containers (and I also have some very nicely organised containers as well).
I have realised after talking to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people over the years, that a large number of people have their day to day household finances in a similar state with the intention that ‘one day’ they will sort things out.
However, now is not a good time; they’re too busy trying to earn more money to solve this week’s financial crisis or they’re off chasing some passion or dream trying to ignore the money shambles!
The Problem to the Solution
The problem is that not only is this one of those ‘things’ that tends to get postponed in lieu of more entertaining activity, when you do decide it really is time to sit down and sort things out, how difficult is it to work out what goes where?
Is this expense a nut or a bolt? Maybe it’s a nail? What container does it belong in, and if I put it here will that allow me to get the outcome I want?
You really want to achieve something beautiful and easy to work with like in the image below, but how do you achieve that?
The Solution to the Problem
The secret is to be able to group expenses with similar characteristics together, just as you would group all the same size washers, nuts, bolts, screws etc.
However money is NOT like nuts and bolts!
Over the years I have seen so many different ways to group expenses!
Maybe you could separate discretionary and non-discretionary expenses OR perhaps you should compare needs and wants. Then again you could group according to business or personal or by category such as food, clothing, transport, accommodation and so on.
All of these would give you an organised view of your expenses, but would that necessarily help you?
I was working with a client on a Spending Plan recently and I realised that this very topic was the source of a major problem. There was so much confusion and my client had no idea of how to group things in order to take control over them.
I was able to quickly and easily demonstrate how much power you get over your expenses when you sort them according to the time cycle they fall due on.
People who have a Spending Planner helping them to fine-tune their finances and achieve more with their money will know where I am going here.
A Three-Dimensional Budget
By grouping your expenses according to the time cycles they fall due on, you can create a Spending Plan (a three dimensional budget) and doing it this way makes a massive difference.
You get to see your ideal bank balance(s) in advance, allowing you to always know when you have spare funds and when you need to pull back a little.
You really will benefit from getting all your financial ‘nails, nuts, screws, washers and bolts’ in the right containers so please don’t put it off any longer! There is a lot of fun to be had when you are in control of your finances. It really is worth doing… It can lead to less stress, more holidays, less bad debt, more family fun days, the possibilities are endless…
Do NOT Put Up With Screwed-Up Finances For The Rest of Your Life!
If you think it’s all too hard, get someone to help you… go to www.findaspendingplanner.com. You’ll find trained Spending Planners who are extremely passionate about helping people. The benefit will be far more than the cost and it will stay with you for the rest of your life!
Or… if you would like to find out more about becoming a Spending Planner go to www.spendingplannersinstitute.com to find out all about the opportunity.
That’s all for now.
David Wright