Budgeting For Dummies

Budgeting For Dummies

by Athena Valentine Lent
Released May 2023
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119985143

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Book description

Build a budget that puts you on solid financial footing

Ask any financially successful person how they achieved their goals, and chances are they’ll tell you it all started with a budget. And that’s exactly where you should start. Budgeting For Dummies shows you how to create a plan that fits your lifestyle, manages everyday needs, and builds your savings. Author Athena Valentine, founder of the Money Smart Latina blog, offers step-by-step details for creating and following a budget without feeling like you’re depriving yourself and your family of all the things that make life worth living. This book shows you how to figure out where your money comes from and where it goes so you can live the life you want and work toward your financial goals. Find out how to establish an emergency fund, eliminate debt, improve your credit score, and stick to your budget through economic ups and downs.

  • Discover budgeting methods that work so you can live within your means
  • Create a budget for your unique situation to get a handle on your income and expenses
  • Deal with common budgeting challenges without taking on more debt
  • Increase your credit score and save toward a major purchase

You don’t need to make six figures to achieve your financial goals. Valentine, who also writes for Slate.com, knows the struggle of trying to make ends meet and is enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge with anyone who wants to improve their financial literacy. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to managing your money, you can depend on Valentine’s tried-and-true advice in Budgeting For Dummies to set you on the right path.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: All about Budgeting
    1. Chapter 1: Beginning with Budgeting Basics
      1. Knowing What a Budget Is and Why You Should Use One
      2. Understanding Why People Think Budgets Fail
      3. Taking Inventory of Your Finances: A Spending Analysis
    2. Chapter 2: Breaking Down the Parts of a Budget
      1. Seeing Where Your Money Goes: Your Expenses
      2. Knowing Where Your Money Comes From: Your Income
      3. You Gotta Have Dreams: Financial Goals
  6. Part 2: Finding a Budget That Works for You
    1. Chapter 3: Zero-Based Budgeting
      1. Setting Up Your Zero-Based Budget
      2. Perusing the Pros of Using a Zero-Based Budget
      3. Considering the Cons of Using a Zero-Based Budget
      4. Asking Yourself Whether Zero-Based Budgeting Will Work If …
    2. Chapter 4: The 50/30/20 Budget
      1. Setting up the 50/30/20 Budget
      2. Looking at the Pros of Using a 50/30/20 Budget
      3. Checking out the Cons of Using a 50/30/20 Budget
      4. Evaluating Whether a 50/30/20 Budget Will Work If …
    3. Chapter 5: The Envelope Budget
      1. Setting Up Your Envelope Budget
      2. Perusing the Pros of Using an Envelope Budget
      3. Considering the Cons of Using an Envelope Budget
      4. Asking Yourself Whether the Envelope Budget Will Work If …
    4. Chapter 6: The Pay-Yourself-First Budget
      1. Setting Up the Pay-Yourself-First Budget
      2. Understanding the Pros of Using a Pay-Yourself-First Budget
      3. Considering the Cons of Using a Pay-Yourself-First Budget
      4. Evaluating Whether the Pay-Yourself-First Budget Will Work If …
    5. Chapter 7: Tips for Creating a New Budget
      1. Determining Your Budget Categories
      2. Using the Right Tools
      3. Practicing Makes Perfect
  7. Part 3: Taking Care of Your Priorities
    1. Chapter 8: Establishing an Emergency Fund
      1. Understanding Why You Need an Emergency Fund
      2. Finding the Right Place to Stash Your Cash
      3. Building an Emergency Fund from Scratch
    2. Chapter 9: Saving for Your Retirement
      1. Accessing Employer-Matched Retirement
      2. Making Your Money Work for You
    3. Chapter 10: Eliminating Debt
      1. Looking at the Different Types of Debt
      2. Paying Off Your Debt
      3. Avoiding Accumulating More Debt
  8. Part 4: Budgeting in Action
    1. Chapter 11: Budgeting in a Tough Economy
      1. Keeping Your Head through the Ups and Downs of Inflation
      2. Evaluating Your Job and Its Related Expenses
      3. Budgeting with Irregular Income
    2. Chapter 12: Budgeting during Different Life Stages
      1. Taking Responsibility for Your Money as a Student
      2. Sharing and Agreeing on Money Management as a Couple
      3. Planning for Child-Related Costs
      4. Living off the Money You’ve Saved for Retirement
    3. Chapter 13: Budgeting for a Major Purchase or Life Event
      1. Purchasing a Home
      2. Remodeling or Renovating Your Home
      3. Buying a Car
      4. Paying for Life Events
  9. Part 5: Using Your Budget for Money Management
    1. Chapter 14: Budgeting for Major Life Changes
      1. Losing Your Job
      2. Having a Chronic Illness or Short-Term Disability
      3. Figuring Out Your Estate Planning
    2. Chapter 15: Keeping Tabs on Credit Card Spending
      1. Making a Plan to Use Your Credit Cards Wisely
      2. Improving Your Credit Score
      3. Using Credit Cards to Your Advantage
    3. Chapter 16: Using a Budget to Plan for the Future
      1. Setting Financial Goals
      2. Investing on a Budget
      3. Saving for College
      4. Squirreling Away Funds for Future Fun
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 17: Ten Creative Ways to Budget
      1. Make a No Spending Rule
      2. Avoid Buying New Clothing
      3. Buy Secondhand Items
      4. Shop Local
      5. Reset Your Daily Habits
      6. Allow for a 30-day Waiting Period
      7. Look into Sustainable Living
      8. Consider Minimalism
      9. Practice Gratitude
      10. Use Visualization When Goal Setting
    2. Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Stay Motivated When Following a Budget
      1. Define Your Why
      2. Document Your Journey
      3. Prepare to Deal with Burnout
      4. Tackle a 52-week Challenge
      5. Put Away a Dollar a Day
      6. Automatically Transfer $20 a Week
      7. Celebrate Paying Off Debt
      8. Visually Represent Progress toward Major Purchases
      9. Think about the outcome
      10. Write a Recap of Your Accomplishments
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Advertisement Page
  14. Connect with Dummies
  15. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Budgeting For Dummies
  • Author(s): Athena Valentine Lent
  • Release date: May 2023
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119985143