How Fixed Income Budgeting Will Help You Live Well<\/h1>\n

When you hear the word \u201cbudget\u201d you might start to feel a little depressed. However, fixed income budgeting<\/a> is the smart way to go to live comfortably within your means. It will help you to get a handle on your expenses and be able to enjoy your fun without worrying if you have the money for it.<\/p>\n

The first step for budgeting for retirees or anyone else is to write down all your monthly expenses: mortgage or rent, homeowners\u2019 insurance, car payment and insurance, groceries, phone and utility bills, credit card payments and \u201cfun\u201d spending. At first you might want to just keep track of your spending for a month or two to see what your habits are. This might give you a few places you can easily cut down. For instance, if you eat out a lot, you can commit to cooking at home more often. Rather than meeting friends for dinner at a restaurant, have everyone over to your house.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, your fixed income budgeting will reveal that you need to make more drastic changes. If you\u2019re still living in the family home, it may be time to consider downsizing to something smaller. Owning and maintaining two cars might be killing your budget. See if you can figure out how to manage on just one car. In some places you may even be able to get along with no car by using public transport.<\/p>\n

While budgeting can reveal places you need to make cutbacks, it doesn\u2019t have to mean never having fun again. Take it as a challenge to explore free and inexpensive events and places in your community. Public libraries have many classes and book clubs, as well as maintaining a list of local events.<\/p>\n