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Finance

Finance

How to Beat Month-End Blues

by Faith Panashe Zvorufura
written by Faith Panashe Zvorufura

Month ends can so draining. From bills to chasing payments that may never come, setting goals for the new month and looking back to what you did not achieve in the previous month…one could just give up on life.

This leads many of us to feel down, for obvious reasons. However life has to go on and here is what you can do to get through the next month.

Save

In this trying economy it almost sounds impossible but try to save a little something to keep you going through the first week after month end.

Communicate

If your rentals are due and payment has not come through at work communicate with your landlord prior so they do not come knocking at your door every night. You also do not want to be sneaking around the yard, hiding from him/her.

Commit to a budget

Compile a comprehensive household budget and stick to it. Minimise unrealistic demands and expectations. Plan healthy meals for you and your family, including lunchboxes for school and work. This helps avoid overspending on takeaways.

Quit bad habits

Stop smoking and cut down on your alcohol intake. Not only will you save a lot every month, you will also avoid paying sin tax. No matter what, don’t stop saving. Stay committed to your long-term goals and take advantage of tax-free savings options.

Don’t live to impress

Don’t put yourself under pressure by trying to keep up with the Kardashians. Live and dress according to your means and not according to your friends’ lifestyles. (They may also be in deep debt behind the scenes).

Learn to say no

Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into buying things you don’t need and can’t afford.

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Finance

10 Financial Goals For Every Woman Who Wants To Attain Financial Freedom

by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe
written by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe

I know that when the year began, most us wrote Resolutions for 2018 which probably included financial goals. Some of us may be drowning in debt and I know for a fact that we all dream of financial freedom but we might not know how to get there. You may have been trying but failing to attain financial freedom over the years or you might have got the hang of how to attain financial freedom and you are probably trying to work towards it. I want to share with you 10 financial goals you can take on to attain financial freedom and these include;

  1. Develop a monthly budgeting habit

The first step is to have a financial budget. This will act as a guide as you will know how much you earn or make in a month. The budget will then help you on how you can spend and save your money. Draft a new budget every month as expenses may vary.Most importantly try and not do impulse buying. Stick to your budget.

  1. Pay off all your debts

If you have debt, it is best to knock it off as fast as possible because Debt is the enemy of WEALTH!! After paying off your debt, you may then get on with the business of increasing your net worth and creating financial freedom.

  1. Cut your expenses ruthlessly

We all want to lead an extravagant life, if you want financial freedom, you will have to cut your expenses as often as you can and save your hard earned cash. Determine your needs from your wants and start cutting down from there.

For example, if you are buying lunch every day, start thinking of bringing packed lunch to work. If you are buying lunch worth $5/ day that adds up to $25/ week and $100/ month on lunch. If you carry packed lunch you can save up to 50% of what you were using for your lunch and save the other $50.

  1. Earn Extra Income

Having financial goals means always looking for ways to supplement your income and earning extra income. This will make you less vulnerable if say for instance, you lose your job. There are many things to consider, you can be a part time consultant in your line of work, eg if you are an accountant, you can balance books for clients and you can earn extra cash. Or open a boutique or a grocery shop or sell Avon, Tupperware or Avroy Shlain products.

  1. Start an emergency fund

Save 10-20% of what you make a month, this will improve your finances significantly.This step is critical because it will help you stay out of debt in the event of unexpected expenses.

  1. Automate savings, billings and other expenses.

Automating saves you lots of time. This tweak to your finances will help relieve stress about managing finances. Find out from your bank if this is possible. Automate your savings account, life cover, retirement account, medical aid, funeral cover, water bill. It will save you lots of time and you can use your time to make more money.

  1. Get life cover

We are not going to live forever, it is key to then get life cover so that your family will be taken care of if you die. Also whilst you are still alive, you can use your life cover to acquire assets as you can use it as collateral.

  1. Get retirement cover or start a retirement account

At some point of your life, you will want to retire and you will want to retire rich. Banking on the government to take care of you is not really good strategy. Acquire assets that will also enable you to enjoy your retirement or save money so that you can retire and lead a comfortable life.

  1. Know your net worth

Knowing your net worth can help motivate you to keep doing the right thing with your finances. There are many apps but my favourite one is Personal Capital. Knowing your net worth will help you to know what type of lifestyle you can afford.

  1. Read finance books

Knowledge is and will always be POWER!!! Knowledge will empower you and enable you to make smarter money decisions for you and your family.

Together we can change our finances ladies. Just take one step at a time.

Xoxo

PRLadyBoss

Email: imeldaprconsultancy@gmail.com

Facebook: Power PR Communications

Twitter: @PowerPRComm

Blog: www.wordpress/powerprcommunications.wordpress.com

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Finance

6 Things To Do When Your Finances Are In A Mess!!

by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe
written by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe

We have all gone through a difficult patch in our lives and one of the things are usually let go is our finances. The first step is to take on your debt head on. The 6 things to do if you want to get your finances in check are;

  1. Get a clear picture of your current situation

This will help you assess how bad your situation is so that you know where you stand. The next step since you will be  have the numbers, is then to find out you your biggest spending errors and which debts need to be paid first and which expenses you should cut down on.

  1. Set specific goals with deadlines

Come up with clear and concise goals and set deadlines for your goals. This will encourage you to meet targets and achieve your goals. For example say you owe $2000 but you earn $500/ month and you have other expenses.

You can propose to pay off your debt in $50 instalments for 40 months or in $100 instalments for 20 months. It will also be ideal to consider another stream of income so that you can earn more money and pay off debts faster.

  1. Come up with a budget

Budgeting will enable you to keep track of your spending and make sure you live within your means. This will make you not to overspend since you will be knowing how much you earn and what your expenses and perhaps you might consider downscaling. Say for example, if you are renting an apartment for $500 you can downscale and get an apartment for say $250 and the other $250, you can cover other expenses, like fuel, groceries and utilities.

  1. Keep track of successes and failure

It would be ideal to get a financial journal where you can enter all your expenses for the month, so that you stay on track. Only then can you see your progress. Any steps forward no matter how big or small are worth celebrating.

  1. Organise and declutter the rest of your life

It may not be your financial life that’s a mess, your social life may also be a mess. Let go of some people who are not making you grow, like they say if you sit in a room with 10 fools you are likely to be the 11th.However if you are to sit with 10 millionaires, you are likely to be the 11th and trust me the conversation will be different.

Also declutter your house as well, stop being a hoarder and throw away all the useless things. A decluttered and unorganised house makes it difficult to concentrate on anything.

  1. Be flexible and adjust

If you consistently cannot attain your goals, readjust them. You have to stay motivated and excited about your progress. Falling too far behind may trigger you to give up. It is better to log and evaluate your failure and adjust figures.

You are not alone in this journey, form support groups with your friends for accountability. Find a financial mentor or advisor and be one for someone else. It will make this whole process easier and it will make it feel really good about yourself.

Xoxo

PR Lady Boss

Email: imeldaprconsultancy@gmail.com

Facebook: Power PR Communications

Twitter: @PowerPRComm

Blog: www.wordpress/powerprcommunications.wordpress.com

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Finance

Budgeting Made Easy

by Faith Panashe Zvorufura
written by Faith Panashe Zvorufura

Have you been struggling to budget or save? Do you wind up every year with nothing but clearly have been working hard?

This has been my struggle since I started working. Our economy is not the best of economies right now which makes it difficult to budget or save but I always wondered how others did it.

It was until I came across Lyapa Mbewe, a Zambian Financial Planner. She is everything you would want to be, goals you would call it today. She has good sound advice on financial planning and saving. Below is an excerpt she did on budgeting that could help you today. It’s not too late.

Change of Habits| Bare-Bones Budget

People are creatures of habits and spending money is no exception. We shop at the same stores, eat in the same restaurants and drive the same car, because it’s comfortable. It’s also costing you more than you can handle financially.


If you won’t change your spending habits, you won’t ever get out of debt. Start with your morning habits have your breakfast at home. Go to lunch with a pre-packed lunch box, not your wallet. In the evening, watch your soccer or movies on TV, while eating a home cooked meal. You will see an immediate impact on your daily spending habits don’t have to do without. You just have to make better choices with what you do.

If you really want to pay down debt faster, you’ll need to cut your expenses as much as you can. One tool you can create and use is a “Limited Budget” With this strategy, you’ll cut your expenses as low as they can go and live on as little as possible for as long as you can.

For this time only, as you sort your debt, attempting to live in what is Called a “Bare Bones Budget😢” will help tremendously.

Step 1: Nail down your spending from previous months.

To figure out where your money is going, look at your bank statements and look back to where your money went last month. Put all of your regular expenses in common sense categories and add them up. Some potential categories can include things like food, utility bills, transportation, clothes, restaurants, and rent or mortgage. Create other categories as needed and figure out how much you’re spending in each total for the previous two months. Make sure to include debt repayment in its own category so that you know exactly how much you owe each month.

Step 2: Slash non-essential expenses.

Once you’ve categorized your spending from the previous two months, it’s time to see what you could live without. And that’s where the term “bare bones” comes into the equation.
Essential expenses are things like rent payment, utilities, and transportation costs, while non-essential expenses include new outfits for work, dinners so on. Basically, anything you could live without is a non-essential expense, so keep that in mind as you figure out how to get everything down.


Step 3: Dig a little deeper.

Remember, a bare-bones budget is supposed to be how it sounds stripped down to the essentials: shelter, food, and basic living expenses. If it hurts a little to cut so deep, it’s only because it’s supposed to.


Step 4: List your new bare-bones expenses

Once we’ve the needs vs. wants , it’s time to create a new monthly budget based only on your basic, core expenses. Everyone’s bare-bones budget will look different, but most will follow the same general outline. We all need a place to live, the utilities turned on, basic transportation, and food in the fridge, but everything else is optional. Your budget should reflect that.


A bare-bones budget will look different for everyone, but it should be devoid of any “extras” like going out to eat, Tv Subscription, unnecessary spending. While you’re living on a strict budget, you should be able to pay considerably more toward your debt.

😊Remember, bare-bones budgets are only meant to be temporary. Once you’re out of debt or a lot closer to your goal you can start adding discretionary spending back into your monthly plan.

By Lyapa Mbewe.

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Finance

Budgeting Effectively

by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe
written by Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe

Budget tips every woman can consider this October.

If you want to attain financial freedom it is crucial to know basic financial management principles. You have to draw up a budget so that you know where your money is going as this will make it easy to keep track of your spending. Though budgeting and tracking your spending can feel a bit like having strict parents, it is supposed to give you freedom as you can tailor your spending practices and ensure that you manage your money in line with your financial goals. Below are % that you can apply when you want budget and keep track of your hard earned money.

Budget percentages to consider

Giving 10%

Savings 10%

Housing 25%

Food 15%

Insurance 10%

Transportation 15%

Utilities 10%

Recreation 5%

The first two categories which are giving and savings are key, saving is very important if you want to attain financial freedom and having savings gives you a cushion for a rainy day.Then essentials like housing, food, utilities should also be budgeted for because, you need a place to live in, utilities, transport to work as well as food.

Insurance also should be budgeted for be it home insurance, life cover, funeral cover, motor insurance, hospital cover, all these should be paid for as they will make sure that you don’t spend your savings if anything is to happen to you or your possessions. Recreation is also important to budget for so that you know how much exactly you can spend on entertainment.

If you track your spending without first setting a goal for each category, you can easily spend more than you would like to in one or several categories. With a pre-set budget, you have a number to aim for that will help ensure you making efforts to control spending so that you have more money to put toward your financial goals, whether those goals be saving money for a house, paying off debt, or working toward financial freedom.

Tip:

Opt for using cash than credit cards as with cash you can use a cash jar or cash envelope system. By using a cash envelope system for expenses such as groceries, entertainment, meals out and other flexible spending categories, you can be sure you’re not spending over the allocated amount in your budget because you simply commit to using only the money in the envelope for those expenses. Once the money is gone, you’re finished spending in that category for the month.

Also, twerk your budget on a regular basis to accommodate for expenses like car insurance or school fees which are seasonal expenses. If your budget permits, have an emergency fund as well that will be part of your budget, you can cut down percentages of other categories to accommodate having an emergency fund.

Go ahead and apply these budget tips this October as a trial run and find out if this can work for you.

Xoxo PRLadyBoss

Imelda Duduzile Moyo

Email: imeldaprconsultancy@gmail.com

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