by JQ Adams

Created on: March 02, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Money is really a tricky thing; everyone would like to have a lot of it because it's a means to have all of the stuff you've ever wanted. Whether or not having all of the stuff you ever wanted will make you happy is another conversation, but we can safely say that we all wouldn't mind having a few extra dollars in our account! A lot of people will fall for get rich quick schemes that don't work, such as overnight cable shows telling how you can get rich in real-estate or by playing the lottery. However, there's one sure fire way to have more money, it's called a budget.

Have you ever looked at your tax return and realized that you made tens of thousands of dollars and have nothing to show for it or no idea where any of it went? That happens to many Americans, people just spend their money when they want to buy something and have no idea where it went, often times they even spend money they don't have on the stuff they want. You could have ten million dollars and still not have all of the stuff you've ever wanted to. So you have to make priorities. Making a budget will help you do this. You can prioritize and see what is truly important to you and make sure those things get taken care of, and when you do a budget you will know exactly where all of your money goes!

Budgets do more than help you realize where your money went, they tell you information that can often make you cringe. "Did I really spend THAT much on going out to eat?" It will talk to you and tell you when your out of line, and you will realize where some of the fat is in your budget and where you can trim some of it out to make your self more financially wise.

Finally, having a budget will much better help you achieve your financial goals. Of course you have to have financial goals before you make a budget, which is a great thing to by itself as well. When you have financial goals and you want to meet them, say saving up $2500 for a vacation, your budget will help you meet those goals. You will have a priority of saving for that goal and be able to realize how spending money at the movies or eating out will affect your goal, and you will make your financial goal a priority and you'll reach your goal faster.

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