I just finished a radio interview on the F.R.A.Z.L.E.D. Military Wives Christian Network's Blog Talk Radio Show - wow that is a lot of words. While I was preparing for the interview, I jotted down the three things that I wanted to talk about during the show. I didn't exactly get to them all, but I'll share them with you now:
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- Know where you are - sit down and write down every debt, every bill, and every bit of income that you have. Just making the list is incredibly helpful. Take some time to look at it, and then begin your planning from that list.
- Keep it simple. Automate your bills whenever possible. Don't have a crazy number of bank accounts all over town. Limit the number of accounts that you need to manage. Simple is good!
- Figure out what is important to your family, and manage your money to fit your values. Make room in your budget for the things that you want, and save elsewhere.
This is just a short list that I jotted down before the show, but I think it is a pretty good summary of the most basic personal finance concepts. Sometimes, just knowing where to start is the hardest part. These three steps should be easy enough for anyone to do, and will jump-start your financial planning process without taking a lot of time or energy.
The entire radio show can be heard at the FRAZLED MWCN website. Thank you to Shannon and Sara for letting me visit their show!
