What you don’t know DOES harm you!

Budgeting is easy. Three years ago, I would never have written that statement, but today I can passionately state that budgeting is easy.

Here is a key fact to remember. Budgets do not require calculus, differential equations, geometry, physics, or trigonometry. Budgets do not even require division or multiplication. Budgets really only utilize addition and subtraction. Think about it. If you can punch numbers into a calculator, you can complete a real, workable budget. It is a simple equation:

INCOME – OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO

It is just that easy. If you don’t know this equation, it WILL harm your finances. It can lead to devastating effects on your marriage. It can lead to strained family relationships. It can create worry and stress. I know. I have been there. I have seen it with my own eyes. I have stared poverty in the eyes. Poverty that was the direct result of not understanding this equation. Poverty that should not have happened. Poverty that is impacting the family in a horrible way. It is what they DID NOT KNOW that is harming them. They routinely spent more than they made. They were paying more money in late fees and overdraft charges than their house payment. What they DID NOT KNOW is harming them.

You might be saying, “I don’t need a budget.” I will tell you that “I was broke … Now, I’m not!” It was through the introduction of a monthly budget that we were able to make our family’s finances work. Now, we are able to give more than I ever thought possible, save more than I ever thought possible, and we are able to utilize our income to do something besides PAY BILLS!!!

I have a question. When you were growing up, was it your dream to owe Capital One? Target? Kohls? Belk? Disney? Countrywide? Wells Fargo? Put a stop to this madness. Get a budget.

It is my goal to get every person on this planet to PLAN their finances through the use of a monthly budget. If you want to know how to budget but can’t seem to get started, e-mail me at josephsanglblog@yahoo.com.

2 Comments

  1. 'Thought & Humor' by Howdy on February 7, 2006 at 9:48 pm

    .
    “Who is this who darkens
    counsel By words without
    knowledge? Now prepare
    yourself like a man; I will
    question you, and you shall
    answer Me.

    “Where were you when I
    laid the foundations of the
    earth? Tell Me, if you
    have understanding. Who
    determined its measurements?

    Surely you know! Or who
    stretched the line upon it?
    To what were its foundations
    fastened? Or who laid its
    cornerstone, When the
    morning stars sang together,
    And all the sons of God
    shouted for joy? “Or who
    shut in the sea with doors,
    When it burst forth and
    issued from the womb;
    When I made the clouds
    its garment, And thick
    darkness its swaddling
    band; When I fixed My
    limit for it, And set bars
    and doors; When I said,
    ‘This far you may come,
    but no farther, And here
    your proud waves must stop!’

    “Have you commanded the
    morning since your days began,
    And caused the dawn to know
    its place, That it might take hold
    of the ends of the earth, And
    the wicked be shaken out of it?
    It takes on form like clay under
    a seal, And stands out like a
    garment. From the wicked
    their light is withheld, And
    the upraised arm is broken.

    “Have you entered the springs
    of the sea? Or have you walked
    in search of the depths? Have
    the gates of death been
    revealed to you? Or have
    you seen the doors of the
    shadow of death? Have
    you comprehended the
    breadth of the earth?

    Tell Me, if you know all this.

    “Where is the way to the
    dwelling of light? And
    darkness, where is its
    place, That you may
    take it to its territory,
    That you may know
    the paths to its home?

    Do you know it,
    because you were
    born then, Or because
    the number of your days
    is great? “Have you
    entered the treasury
    of snow, Or have you
    seen the treasury of hail,
    Which I have reserved
    for the time of trouble,
    For the day of battle
    and war? By what way
    is light diffused, Or
    the east wind scattered
    over the earth?

    “Who has divided
    a channel for the
    overflowing water,
    Or a path for the
    thunderbolt, To
    cause it to rain
    on a land where
    there is no one,
    A wilderness in
    which there is no
    man; To satisfy
    the desolate waste,
    And cause to spring
    forth the growth of
    tender grass?

    Has the rain a
    father? Or who
    has begotten the
    drops of dew?

    From whose
    womb comes
    the ice? And the
    frost of heaven,
    who gives it birth?

    The waters harden
    like stone, And the
    surface of the deep
    is frozen. “Can you
    bind the cluster of the
    Pleiades, Or loose the
    belt of Orion? Can you
    bring out Mazzaroth in
    its season? Or can you
    guide the Great Bear
    with its cubs? Do you
    know the ordinances of
    the heavens? Can you
    set their dominion over
    the earth? “Can you lift
    up your voice to the clouds,
    That an abundance of water
    may cover you? Can you
    send out lightnings, that they
    may go, And say to you,
    ‘Here we are!’? Who
    has put wisdom in the mind?

    Or who has given understanding
    to the heart?

    Who can number the clouds
    by wisdom? Or who can pour
    out the bottles of heaven,
    When the dust hardens in
    clumps, And the clods cling
    together?

    “Can you hunt the prey for
    the lion, Or satisfy the appetite
    of the young lions, When they
    crouch in their dens, Or lurk
    in their lairs to lie in wait?

    Who provides food for
    the raven, When its young
    ones cry to God, And
    wander about for lack
    of food?

    Best Wishes,
    Dr. Howdy

    P.S. You have a riveting web
    log and undoubtedly must have
    atypical & quiescent potential
    for your intended readership.



  2. […] I use a similar approach for every single financial counseling appointment.  I ensure that I understand where they have been in life and where they are wanting to go.  I make sure I understand how each person feels about their current financial situation.  I assist them in putting together a BUDGET that uses the Magic Formula: INCOME – OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO.  We work together to calculate their DEBT FREEDOM DATE.   I show them how to use Cash Envelopes for the spending categories that they feel they are most impulsive on (groceries, restaurants, spending money, clothing). […]



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