by JQ Adams

Created on: March 01, 2009

Settling down and creating a budget is a difficult task, but actually sticking to the budget can be a much more difficult task. There are many reasons why you may not be able to stick to the budget that you created and the solution will often be to change your mindset or revise your budget into something that is more easily accomplished. There are 4 common budget killers to watch out for because if these budget killers are present, it will be nearly impossible to stick to the budget that you have made.

1. You Are Not Motivated To Follow The Budget

Creating a budget under duress or because of dire threats from your loved ones may actually have the opposite effect that is needed by causing you to unconsciously rebel against the budget that you have created and sabotage your success. For your budgeting to be successful, you will have to want it to work and believe in your heart that you can make it work for you. It may help to set rewards for reaching certain milestones if you cannot become motivated any other way.

2. The Budget Is Not Realistic

It is impossible to stick to a budget that does not reflect reality and trying to do so will only cause you endless frustration and annoyance. Before creating the budget, take the time to figure out what each item on the list actually costs each month and use that information as the starting point for your budgeting. Although reducing the amount that you are spending on certain items is one of the main reasons for creating a budget in the first place, reducing the amounts of necessities like food and gasoline too far may not be possible under any reasonable circumstances.

3. You Do Not Make Enough To Cover The Budget

When some individuals create their budget, they include money that they regularly make in overtime or bonuses in the amount of money that they have available. If they have a month where they cannot work overtime or their performance is not good enough to earn their bonus, then their budget is thrown into disarray. It is important to only include the money that you know that you can count on, like your salary, in your budgeting estimates so that unforeseen events do not kill your budget.

4. Unexpected Expenses Are Not Taken Into Account

Unexpected expenses will always occur, whether it is a car repair, a doctor's bill, or needing a new pair of shoes for work because the old pair broke. Although the expenses are unexpected, they should be taken into account as well as possible to ensure that an unexpected expense does not destroy your budget. A budget should not account for every single penny that you make each week, giving you some room to maneuver if unexpected expenses arise.

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