Budgeting in Uncertain Times
by Justin Lukasavige

If you watch TV or read the newspaper you have heard the economy is bad.  You know you need a budget or some sort of plan to keep your family afloat.  But how do you do that when everything around you is so bad? 

I would like to share some great news with you.  No matter the state of the economy, you need a plan.  It does not matter what is happening in the white house right now but rather what is happening in your house.  When times are bad you need a plan just as you do when times are good.

Record numbers of people are losing their jobs and their homes.  Salaries are being cut and unemployment is on the rise.  What are you doing about it?  Are you hiding under a rock and hoping everything will be ok?  Or are you planning in case something happens, or even planning to reach a goal you have in mind like retirement?

The bottom line is you need a plan.  It may freak you out if I call it a budget, but as John Maxwell says “A budget is telling your money where to go rather than wondering where it went.”  What a great feeling it would be to tell your money where to go!  I know firsthand because my wife and I do this before every month begins.

You can download a free basic budget to get started at LukasCoaching.com/resources.  What many spreadsheets and programs are missing however is the 80% of personal finance that is just that; it is personal.  Budgeting involves more than putting your numbers on a page.  It involves habits, behaviors and accountability.  If I can just get the person I see in the mirror to change I’ll be doing alright.

I challenge you to take the first step and put your plans to paper.  Chart out what next month will look like and then adjust as the month happens.  Only by telling your money what to do will you conquer it and win.

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