Search Results for: blog how to deal with irregular expenses

Budgeting For Those With Irregular Incomes

Everybody knows the importance of creating a budget to keep your finances on track. There are some situations that make creating and sticking to a budget difficult. Irregular income is certainly one of these. If one or both wage-earners in a family are self-employed or work at jobs that do not pay on a traditional regularly-timed, predictable earning schedule it is hard to know how much money is going to come through the door each month. Unfortunately, the world does not provide exceptions for those of us with irregular incomes. Your bills are due on the same day every month … Continue reading →

Budget Strategies: Don’t Forget Work Expenses

One area that is often overlooked in budgeting is that of work expenses. These items can sneak up on you, and may make you wonder where all the money is going. It is important to consider these items as you make up your budget. If you both work, it is even more important to plan for these expenses. It may not be fair to take this money from blow money or allowance categories, since many of these expenses are not by choice. Here are four work expenses categories to consider. 1) Does your office have a monthly fund for birthday … Continue reading →

Home-Based Business Finance 101

Many home-based professionals own their own businesses. Whether your business is a lawn care and snow removal operation, a freelance web design service, or something else entirely, if you own and operate your own business there is a good chance that you are responsible for the financial affairs of your business. While you can choose to outsource this work to a small business accounting firm, that costs money and it may be more than you are willing or able to pay. Do not despair, though, you are capable of learning how to take care of your business’s financial affairs. Here … Continue reading →

Staying Open to Good Surprises…as a Family

The other day, I wrote a little piece about how it seems to be that some of the best things happen when we least expect them. As a single parent family, we can get used to being braced for trials and troubles and forget that there are plenty of good surprises that come our way too. What about making a family practice to celebrate and notice those wonderful good surprises instead of just bracing for the troublesome ones? Okay, so maybe we would all love to win the lottery and surely a windfall of that magnitude would be a happy … Continue reading →

Sometimes, the Best Things Happen when You’re Not Even Looking

I can be the queen of over-work and over-focus. I have not always been this way, but over the years I have risen to the challenges of single parenthood and become a hard worker, a serious organizer, and an annoying planner. Even so, I am also learning as I slip into my fifth decade that sometimes the best things happen when I am not even paying attention—or when I ease up and stop working quite so hard. Many of us wrestle with the difference between being in control and being controlling. I know firsthand that a typical reaction to the … Continue reading →

Managing Your Business Cash Flow

One of the biggest challenges in a home business is managing the cash flow. Cash flow being the movement of money that is coming in and money that is going out. How you are earning that money and how that money is being spent. When you start a home business, you not only have to keep an eye on your household’s cash flow, but also on how the income and expenses are working for your business. Often, our home businesses have irregular income, unexpected expenses, and other factors that affect our ability to accurately predict our cash flow. This can … Continue reading →

A Glance Back at 2006

If you are looking for some of the greatest frugal recipes or the most brilliant money-saving tips, keep reading. It’s actually been a whole year since I started writing for families.com and as my last entry for 2007 I share my ten favorite blogs from the year. The Cash-Only Diet I love the idea of a cash-only diet! This is the most effective way that I have found to stick to a budget without having to meticulously record every purchase that you make. Coupon Codes This article explains a great resource for saving money on online purchases. If you don?t … Continue reading →