Learning how to be responsible with your money means understanding how to keep track of it. As noted in MakeUseOf’s article, “Make a Personal Budget With Microsoft Excel in 4 Easy Steps”, you don’t need to rely on expensive and complicated software to help you do it. You just need to put the right pieces together to create a full picture.
It may take a while to get it right
You need to remember to give yourself time to adjust to the idea of a budget. Don’t give up after the first try, and keep on putting in the numbers. Remember:
- Everyone finds it overwhelming to see all the costs tallying up
- You will get the hang of it after a while
- It is worth the frustration
Use technology to help you
You don’t need to do it with paper and pencil anymore. Your best ally is a little software most of us already have on our computer: Microsoft Excel. You can rely on this powerful tool to:
- Structure your personal budget spreadsheet;
- Organize your budget using shading;
- Use formulas to project your credit card balances into the future;
- Recalculate payments based on interest and eliminate your debt
The power of Excel for budgeting and debt planning like this can’t be understated. And even if you don’t use Excel, you should at least explore the various budget and debt planning tools available out there. Make the commitment to try a few out and work on it regularly.
For more support and information on how to make Microsoft Excel work for your budget, step by step, take a look at MakeUseOf’s post here, and get your financial plan on track the right way.
SOURCE: MakeUseOf