The Everything Budgeting Book

These days, everyone is looking for smart, practical ways to make every dollar count. The Everything "RM" Budgeting Book is the quickest, most painless way anyone can get his or her finances in the black.

Unlike other financial books, The Everything "RM" Budgeting Book is not just designed for a onetime budget review and overhaul; it can be used again and again, year after year. The book features helpful advice on everyday budgeting, as well as how to successfully navigate such life changes as having a baby, financing college education, losing a job, and planning for retirement.

Includes practical strategies for:

-- Assessing where the money is really spent

-- Economizing on the biggest everyday living expenses, such as housing, automobiles, food, and medical care

-- Consolidating debt

-- Preparing for worst-case scenarios

The Everything "RM" Budgeting Book also discusses when outside resources such as loans, government assistance, and second jobs are appropriate. Supplemented with 75 worksheets that the reader can copy and use over and over agai

Dedication and Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
What Is Budgeting--And Why Do I Need to Do It?	p. 1
Realizing What a Budget Is	p. 2
Recognizing What a Budget Isn't	p. 2
Understanding the Financial Goals	p. 3
Determining Whether You Need a Budget	p. 4
Looking at a Sample Budget	p. 4
Thinking About Your Long-Term Goals	p. 9
Prioritizing Your Spending	p. 15
Understanding Why Not Spending Is the Key to Budgeting	p. 16
Totaling Your Daily Expenses	p. 16
Categorizing and Prioritizing Your Daily Expenses	p. 20
Assessing Your Monthly Expenses	p. 21
Categorizing and Prioritizing Your Monthly Expenses	p. 34
Prioritizing Which Items You Want to Spend Money On	p. 34
Assessing Your Current Financial Situation	p. 35
Understanding Why Your Financial Situation Is Important	p. 36
Determining Your Income and Other Assets	p. 36
Calculating Your Financial Obligations: Debts and Living Expenses	p. 39
Putting Income and Financial Obligations Together	p. 44
Identifying Potential Cash Flow Problems	p. 46
Taking a Break if You Need It	p. 47
Creating a Livable Budget	p. 49
Making Your Financial Goals a Reality	p. 50
Spending Less than You Make	p. 51
Spending Money Only on Budgeted Items	p. 52
Saving for Unexpected Expenses	p. 53
Revisiting Your Goals and Priorities	p. 55
Generating a Budget You Can Stick To	p. 57
Freezing Your Spending for the Short Term	p. 65
What Freezing Really Means	p. 66
Reducing Temptation During a Freeze	p. 66
Establishing What's Really a Need	p. 67
Putting Away Your Credit Cards	p. 70
Tucking Away Your Debit Card	p. 70
Creating a Wish List	p. 70
Saving Money on Groceries and Incidentals	p. 75
Preparing Your Own Food	p. 76
Not Letting Perishables Go Bad	p. 78
Brown-Bagging It	p. 78
Using Coupons	p. 79
Getting the Lowest Food Prices	p. 81
Avoiding Extended Warranties	p. 82
Buying Reliable, High-Quality Products	p. 84
Not Buying Trendy Items	p. 85
Shopping Tag Sales and Resale Shops	p. 85
Cutting Your Expenses at Home	p. 87
Turning the Thermostat Down (or Up)	p. 88
Reducing Your Long-Distance Phone Bill	p. 88
Getting Rid of Cable, Phone Extras, and Cellular	p. 91
Shopping Around for Car Insurance and Reducing Your Deductibles	p. 94
Growing a Garden, Even a Small One	p. 97
Reducing Gift Expenditures	p. 98
Avoiding Dry Cleaning	p. 98
Getting Your Books and Videos from the Library	p. 99
Cutting Your Biggest Expenses	p. 101
Moving to a Smaller House	p. 102
Buying a House Instead of Renting	p. 104
Renting Instead of Buying	p. 106
Selling Your Car	p. 106
Changing Jobs	p. 108
Taking Cheaper Vacations	p. 112
Restructuring a Heavy Debt Burden	p. 115
Understanding How Debt Is Restructured	p. 116
Getting Credit Counseling	p. 116
Consolidating Your Debt	p. 118
Selling Some Assets	p. 120
Using Your House to Pay Off Your Debts	p. 124
Declaring Bankruptcy	p. 124
Refinancing Your Home and Tapping Your Equity	p. 125
Finding Money in Your Home	p. 126
Refinancing Your House	p. 126
Understanding Equity	p. 127
Refinancing Your Home and Taking Out Equity	p. 128
Qualifying for Refinancing	p. 130
Understanding Home Equity Lines of Credit	p. 133
Adding Income	p. 137
Recognizing What Additional Work Can Mean for You	p. 138
Changing Jobs	p. 142
Getting a Second Job	p. 143
Working Overtime	p. 144
Freelancing for Your Own Company	p. 145
Starting a Small Business	p. 145
Surviving Unemployment	p. 151
Sorting Out Severance Packages and Unemployment Insurance	p. 152
Locking in Your COBRA-Defined Coverage	p. 153
Seeing to Your Other Insurance Needs	p. 154
Paring Your Expenses Down to the Bone	p. 156
Looking for a Job As Soon As Possible	p. 157
Starting a Consulting Firm or Small Business	p. 160
Holding Down a Couple of Part-Time Jobs	p. 161
Considering Another Geographic Location	p. 162
Sticking to Your Budget in an Emergency	p. 165
If Your Car Breaks Down	p. 166
If You Incur Extensive Household Expenses	p. 168
If Family Medical Bills Overwhelm You	p. 171
If You Become Sick or Disabled--Even Temporarily	p. 173
If You Lose Your Job	p. 173
If a Friend or Family Member Has a Special Need	p. 174
Getting Government Help--There Actually Is a Free Lunch!	p. 175
Using Government Food Programs	p. 176
Locating Housing Opportunities	p. 178
Applying for Insurance	p. 179
Getting on Welfare	p. 181
Applying for Government Loans and Grants	p. 182
Requesting Bankruptcy Protection	p. 182
Changing Your Budget for a New Baby	p. 187
Making Time to Think About Your Future	p. 188
Estimating Expenses for Your New Baby	p. 188
Creating a Nine-Month Savings Budget	p. 194
Choosing a Daytime Care Provider	p. 194
Living on One Income	p. 199
Creating a Budget for Your New Family	p. 200
Changing Your Budget to Include a New House	p. 203
Figuring Out the Financing Details	p. 204
Choosing Your Mortgage Length	p. 204
Deciding on a Down Payment	p. 207
Reviewing Your Interest Rate Options	p. 208
Shopping for Your New Home	p. 209
Selling Your Existing Home	p. 211
Understanding Closing Expenses	p. 213
Managing Unexpected Household Expenses	p. 215
Creating a Budget That Includes Your New Home	p. 216
Saving Money for College	p. 219
Understanding College Costs	p. 220
Determining How Much You Can (or Want to) Help Out	p. 221
Seeing How Much You Can Save	p. 222
Taking Advantage of Government-Sponsored Savings Plans	p. 223
Finding Other Ways to Pay for College	p. 226
Creating a Budget That Includes College Expenses	p. 229
Changing Your Budget After Age Fifty	p. 233
Determining How Much You Want to Assist Your Grown Children	p. 234
Taking Care of Your Aging Parents	p. 238
Helping Your Grandchildren Financially	p. 240
Doing More for Yourself	p. 241
Assessing Your Retirement Income and Expenses	p. 243
Creating a Fifty-Plus Budget	p. 245
Saving for Retirement	p. 249
Figuring Out How Much You'll Need	p. 250
Finding Ways to Set Money Aside Now	p. 251
Looking at Tax-Deferred Ways to Save	p. 253
Letting Your Employer Help You	p. 256
Investing on Your Own	p. 258
Starting Young	p. 259
Making Up for Lost Time	p. 259
Staying Motivated	p. 261
Sticking with Your Budget Through Thick and Thin	p. 262
Making Motivational Signs	p. 262
Getting Back on Track When You Blow Your Budget	p. 263
Finding Sneaky Ways to Spend Money	p. 264
Building a Support Network	p. 267
Reviewing Your Budget Periodically	p. 268
Debt-Restructuring Resources	p. 271
Budgeting Web Sites and Online Tools	p. 275
Index	p. 279
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