It's another beautiful day in sunny Arizona. We were going over our finances the other day. As you can imagine, knowing where every penny is going isn’t just good to know, it’s required. It got me to thinking about our budget. Every house has one whether they know it or not. Bills come and go. If they don’t get paid you are going to lose something, credit, power, a car, or even a house. While this is never good, things sometimes happen that cause bills to lag behind.
Take my son for instance, his wife had to have emergency surgery a couple of weks ago. They had some money tucked away but like things often do, it seemed everything hit them all at once. Vehicles broke down, school supplies were needed, and a birthday was coming up. Add their normal bills on top of the unexpected repairs, the birthday gifts, his wife’s medical bills combined with her loss of income, and their savings quickly diminished.
This is why it’s so important to budget, and to save. My son took a second job as quickly as he could, knowing they would need money while his wife was home. They also had to hire a sitter for a few days, which cost him half of his hourly wages. Luckily, his wife was able to watch the kids within a few days after her surgery. He was also able to get a few odd jobs in addition to his hourly paying work, and they had some money saved for emergencies.
If they had not had money in savings and family to fall back on for a short period, they would have drowned in their bills. When paying your bills it’s always best to contact the company you owe to set the due date to a day that corresponds to a payday. Once you receive the bill you can submit the payment right away, since you should have just received an influx of cash. Make sure you save money for emergencies, but also save money for yourself. At least two months of your combined paychecks should be set aside for emergencies. It may take some time to build that up but it’s worth it when the unthinkable happens.
As always if you’re looking for a new place to call home contact Tim or Gayle Kendrick at 602-819-6300, look us up at www.AZWestre.com on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/AZHomes or stop by and see our blog at http://azwestre.blogspot.com/
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