Creating a household budget needs to be one of the first steps in any plan to take control of your spending and financial situation. The purpose of a household budget is to figure out how much money you have coming in and where it is going out on expenses. Now you are armed with all the information it’s time to make some changes to reach your goals.

Here are the basic steps to creating a household budget.

1: Calculate Your Incomings: This should be fairly easy. You need to calculate your average incomings per month from all sources pay checks (after tax), bonuses and dividends from any investments. If there are some payments you only get once or twice a year such as bonuses then average that figure out over a year to give you a typical month.

2: Calculate Your Outgoings: Calculating your outgoings is a little bit more complicated as you spend money in far more ways than you earn it. Print off statements for the past couple of months for all your bank and credit card accounts and run through them to classify where your money is being spent and how much is going out each month. Transactions from debit cards or credit cards may be easier to keep tabs on but it’s hard to see where cash withdrawn from ATM’s has ended up. A simple way to keep tabs your cash spending is using creating a spending diary in a notepad and jotting down everything you spend money on each day such as lunch and coffee at work and anything else you spend. Hopefully you will find your typical outgoings are lower than your incomings but often this is not the case. You may be surprised to find your outgoings are higher than you incomings which means you will be pushing yourself deeper into debt each month which is not sustainable.

3. Classify Your Outgoings: Once you have worked out all your outgoings it makes sense to classify them together into categories such as groceries, utilities, clothes, entertainment, loan repayments, travel and so on. This will allow you to see what percentage of your outgoings is going where.

4: Sort out the essentials, the nice to haves and the not required: Now you can see where your money is going then you need to decide what can be changed. There may be some expenses on there that you feel cannot be changed such as rent or mortgage payments, insurances and so on. If you need to make large cutbacks then perhaps even these items could be reduced by downsizing your home. If you don’t want or need to go to such lengths as moving home then you need to seek other areas for cutbacks. Perhaps you could switch your broadband, cell phone and landline phone deals to a more optimal plan, you could switch to a cheaper pay TV package or get rid of it all together. Common areas for cutbacks are reducing your entertainment and shopping expenses for items such as dining out, buying music, clothes and so on.

5: Make Goals: You should now have figured out what you are spending and where you can make cut backs. You shouldn’t be aiming to create a budget just to survice on; you should be looking to have spare money to increase your net worth each month. A couple of methods of raising your net worth is by lowering your debts or by raising your savings. If you are in debt then the goal should be to get out of debt as soon as possible. Set goals for how much you want to pay off per month and build this into your budget. Once you have paid off debts then the focus can become on saving money each month via a high interest savings account. You will find that when you make regular payments the interest will start to accumulate with high interest savings account products. Your goal shoudl eb to improve your financial situation every month and prioritize debt reduction, savings and investments to reach your goals faster. There could also be other uses for the money such as investing it in shares or managed funds.

6: Keep Yourself in Check: Make sure you keep reviewing your budget and looking for areas where you can make further trimmings and savings. Don’t forget that a budget is not just about managing to get from one pay check to the next but should be a long term plan to improve your financial wellbeing.

This article is written by Richard Greenwood of www.compareyourbank.com.au a consumer finance comparison site to help consumers find the best credit card. Visitors can then apply online for any featured products direct with the banks.

What sounds like a small difference in interest rates can multuply over time and result in a bid difference in how fast your money groiws. This alone becomes a compelling reason to compare savings accounts, for there are many types. But aside from the high interest savings accounts can provide (compared to ordinary transaction accounts), they operate under different terms and conditions which also influence the net return you receive and the conveniences you enjoy. You will need to compare savings accounts features with your banking needs to determine if you have the right savings account.

Savings Accounts

These traditional savings accounts can be useful for pulling together savings which you then shift across to a higher interest account. The base interest rates begin low (a 0.01 per cent basic rate is common). You can make them earn like a high interest savings account if you follow certain conditions which will qualify you to a bonus rate. The conditions include making a minimum deposit each month and/or avoiding any withdrawals during the month. You will need to keep a minimum balance in the account otherwise fees will be imposed. Look beyond the big banks and look at the smaller banks and non-bank providers such as building societies and credit unions who may offer higher rates.

Online savings account

Banks and financial institutions find online savings accounts very economical to operate. By cutting the costs and overheads the savings get passed on as higher returns with online saving accounts. For consumers like you, online savings accounts allow you to access banking services on 24/7 basis. Online savings accounts allow you to transfer money to and from a linked transaction account in the same bank or in another — although having the two accounts in the same bank makes the transfers instantaneous. Make sure to compare savings accounts since interest yields are higher in some banks. However, interest rates are not tiered and you get the same rate regardless of the balance in your online high interest savings accounts.

Kids savings accounts

These are high interest savings accounts designed to encourage your children to become savers. They act like regular savings accounts, offering a low base rate plus bonus rates that vary in proportion to the balance in the account. Fees are usually very low so as not to dampen your children’s enthusiasm for saving. It is common for these accounts to provide access to bank branch facilities; the idea is to enable children to enjoy the banking experience in the same way as their parents. Children also acquire a direct sense of ownership because their names appear in all account records.

Cash management accounts

These accounts can serve as a transaction account but at the same time they act like high interest savings accounts. Interest is calculated each day and then paid into the account monthly. One caveat, though: the high interest savings accounts rates will apply only if the initial deposit to open it is substantial. Compare savings accounts terms carefully because some banks accept $1000 but others require as much as $5000 initial deposit. In addition, interest rates are tiered and the best rates are reserved for higher balances. For smaller balances, you have to compare savings accounts rates with other types. Once you reach a certain balance many accounts waive the monthly fees.

To summarise, make sure to check the following items when looking for the right savings account for your needs:

• Duration of and conditions to qualify for bonus rates
• Requirements on minimum balance, deposits, fees and charges
• Limitations on number of withdrawals
• Requirements on linking of transaction accounts
• Conditions on linking of accounts if one of the linked accounts is in another institution.

Article by Richard Greenwood who co-founded banking comparison website www.high-interest-saving-account.com.au which compares leading savings products including Suncorp Savings. Rates and terms can be compared before applying with the banks.