This informative and entertaining seminar will show you how to take control of your finances by learning to budget your paycheck - before you spend it.
2. About Springboard
Springboard is a non-profit
organization founded in 1974.
We offer personal financial education
and assistance with money, credit, and
debt management through educational
programs and confidential counseling.
3. About Springboard
Accredited by the Council on Accreditation
(COA)
Member of the National Foundation for
Credit Counseling (NFCC)
Certified by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD)
Member of the Better Business Bureau
(BBB)
4. Our Services Include
Credit and Debt Counseling
Financial Education Programs – Seminars
and Materials
Debt Management Plans
Homeowner Assistance (Foreclosure
Prevention)
First Time Home Buyer Education Seminars
Reverse Mortgage Counseling
Pre-Bankruptcy Budget and Credit
Counseling
Pre-Discharge Financial Management
Instructional Course
5. Introduction
Surveys show that only 12% of high school
seniors learn about money management in
school.
Historically, it has been up to parents to
teach their children the skills needed.
Most of us learn these lessons the hard way
after we’ve moved out on our own and made
some mistakes.
6. First Steps
Stop incurring new debt
Live on a cash basis
Get a handle on your situation
Relax
7. What is a Budget?
A budget (spending plan) is a plan to
figure out where your money goes
before you get it.
8. Where to Begin When Creating
a Budget:
How much do you earn?
How much do you spend?
9. Track Your Spending!
Track ALL spending
for at least 90 days
Write down even the
smallest expenditure
Transfer expenses
to the monthly
tracking sheet to
summarize and view
by category
10. Daily Tracking Sheets
Use the forms provided
in this book or
Carry a small notebook
Keep your receipts in a
separate envelope for
each day
Use software like
Microsoft® Money or
Quicken® (chances are
you already own one of
these applications if you
own a personal
computer)
11. Tracking Sheet for Monthly
Expenses
Housing
Food
Insurance
Medical
Auto
Child Support
Taxes
Personal
Savings
13. Track All Your Sources of Income
Job
Spouse’s job
Part time job
Rentals
Commission/bonuses
Child support/alimony
Investments
14. Categorizing Your Expenses
The two most important categories of
expenses are needs and wants.
Necessary expenses are your needs.
Discretionary expenses are your
wants.
The rule to bear in mind is this: Anything that
is necessary for you to earn a living is a
need.
15. Necessary Expenses
Housing (include utilities, taxes,
insurance)
Food
Insurance (medical/dental/life)
Medical
Transportation (include car insurance)
Child care
Taxes
Savings
16. Discretionary Expenses
Personal care, clothing, jewelry
Entertainment (include cable TV!)
Miscellaneous
Pet care
Gifts
Cell phone
Cigarettes/Alcohol
Charitable giving
Internet access
18. Debt Payments
Credit Card Payments
Personal Loans
Student Loans
Any Other Debt Payments
19. Debt Repayment
After you divide your necessary from
your discretionary expenses, you aren’t
done categorizing your spending.
This usually takes the form of credit card
bills, though auto loan repayments and
personal loans would also count.
Take each debt and figure out a monthly
payment amount that will allow you to
pay off your debts as quickly as possible.
20. Debt Repayment
For your auto loans, this is your established car
payment.
For your credit cards, don’t just send the
minimum monthly payment; if you do, you’ll be
paying toward that debt for the next 30 years.
For example, say you owe $6000 on a credit card.
Over four years, or 48 months, you’d pay $125 per
month to wipe out the debt. If that amount is too large
for your budget, you can adjust the payoff term to
something longer, like 5 years. (Then you’d only have
to pay $100 per month.)
Whatever you do, though, don’t stretch out the payoff
term so much that you’re just making minimum
payments.
21. Setting Goals
A short–term goal should be accomplished
within one year.
A mid-range goal takes between 2 and 5
years to accomplish.
Long-term goals take over 5 years to achieve.
23. Adding It All Up
Now it’s time to put everything together and
see whether your budget will work.
Remember, your short, mid and long term
goals should be included with your expenses
on your budget.
Total Necessary Expenses
+ Total Discretionary Expenses
+ Total Debt Payments
= Total Monthly Expenses
24. Now Let’s See if Your Budget
Balances
Total Monthly Net Income
- Total Monthly Expenses
= Surplus (+) or Deficit (-)
25. If Your Expenses Exceed Your
Income
Work to find solutions
Credit counseling can help if you have high debt
payments that are upsetting your budget.
Whatever you do, don’t cut into the 10% - 15% you
should be saving; you need to save up to three – six
total month’s of expenses to get through an
emergency
Re-evaluate your budget periodically, especially
when your income or needs change.
26. What Your Spending Should Look Like
Housing 35-45%
Utilities 8-15%
Food 10-20%
Transportation 15-25%
Medical 8-15%
Clothing 3-5%
Personal & Misc. 5-10%
Savings 5-10%
Monthly Installments 10-20%
27. Monthly
Budget
Now that
you’re more
familiar with
your income,
expenses, and
goals, it’s time
to propose a
monthly
budget.
28. Balancing that Budget
Continue to track spending for another 30-60
days to plug budget “leaks”.
Wants vs. Needs – know the difference!
Ask before you buy: “How did I get along
without it?”
Plan ahead and curb those impulse buys.
Include your family in budget discussions
29. Budget Busters
Food
Dine out too often
Five times more expensive than making it yourself
Grocery shopping
Entertainment
Impulsive nature of it
Movies - #1 entertainment outlet
Retail Shopping
Paying too much for things
Buying what you don’t need
Shopping as a form of entertainment
30. Increasing Income and
Reducing Expenses
Make sure you control your money, not the
other way around
Rework your budget as needs, priorities,
income, and expenses change
Try some of these tips to reduce expenses for
You and Your home
Your phone
Your transportation
When grocery shopping
31. Shopping with Coupons
Coupons can be a valuable tool to help
consumers save money at the grocery store.
But coupon shoppers have to be careful;
coupons can be advertising devices designed
to get you to purchase high-priced name
brand items that are still more expensive than
the brands you normally buy.
32. Where Do You Get Coupons?
Wednesday and Sunday • Sunday paper, except
before holidays
Grocery store coupons on flyers, mailer coupons,
Coupons enclosed in products.
Magazines
Boxes
You can also find coupons online:
Couponcabin.com
Ebates.com
Keycode.com
Ecoupons.com
33. Shopping Smarter
Planning ahead can
make the difference
when retail
shopping.
Use the calendar
as a rough guide
for when to find
seasonal sales or
discounts
34. Serious Spending Issues –
Compulsive shopping vs. Impulsive shopping
10 signs of Compulsive shopping
To relieve anger or depression
Spending disrupts normal life
Conflict with loved ones
Lying to family & friends
Feelings of elation
Taking cash from others – purchasing on your own
credit card
Feels like something forbidden
Guilt or shame
Purchase never unwrapped or used
Purchasing on credit for items wouldn’t spend with cash
35. Your Credit Report
The FACT Act of 2003 mandated that the
three major national credit-reporting bureaus
establish a website, a toll-free number and a
mail address for consumers to request their
credit report for free every year:
*You may also purchase your score at this
website for a small fee.
www.annualcreditreport.com
877-322-8228
36. Getting Your Report
If you’ve been denied credit because of what
your credit report says, you are also entitled
to a free copy of the credit report used in the
decision - within 60 days of the denial.
Contact the credit bureaus directly
Equifax – www.equifax.com
Experian – www.experian.com
TransUnion – www.transunion.com
37. Opt Out of Prescreened Offers
If you would like to stop receiving offers
of new credit you may Opt Out.
www.optoutprescreen.com
1–888-5OPT OUT
38. Thank You!
Springboard Nonprofit Consumer
Credit Management
www.credit.org
800-947-3752
4351 Latham St. Riverside CA. 92501 www.credit.org