Question

2.Please explain some ways that budget assumptions may be off or different then what was projected?

Answer 1

Budgets help businesses and families keep track of their finances. They help to allocate funds to various areas where they are needed, and help keep spending under control. Budgets can allow businesses to predict the financial outcome for a period of time if they undertake a certain project or plan, which can aid in decision-making.

Some ways that budget may be off or different than what was projected:

1. It’s Too Restrictive

If you really want to save money, you might be tempted to strip your spending down to the bare minimum and challenge yourself to live with it. If you succeed, you’re going to show a hefty surplus at the end of the month. Of course, when it comes to the actual execution of a restrictive budget, you may be tempting yourself to max out your allotted funds, go over your spending limits, and finally toss your budget in the garbage because it “didn’t work.”

2. You Don’t Set Goals

It always helps to keep your eyes on the prize, and setting a goal can certainly help keep you motivated to stick to your budget. However, while “getting rich” is definitely an admirable goal, it may be too broad to really keep you on track when the going gets tough. The same goes for paying off all of your debt, or building up a down payment for a house.

3. You Haven’t Adjusted It Since Day One

The thing about budgeting is that it’s all guess-work until you put it into practice. When you first draw up a budget, you can use utility bills, credit card statements, and pay stubs to develop the most accurate spreadsheet possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s all going to run smoothly once you put it into play. You’re going to have to make adjustments month-to-month, and if you haven’t touched your budget since you first formulated it, it’s probably not working out very well.

4. You Didn’t Plan for Emergencies

A budget is well and good until your dog breaks his paw, your car needs a new transmission, or your toddler needs his tonsils removed. Emergency expenses can completely derail a carefully detailed budget if you don’t account for them. Before you know it, your monthly money is gone before you’ve even paid your bills.

5. You Didn’t Give It Enough Time

Count me as one of those people who gets impatient with her budget. I’m so excited to see the fruits of my labor that you can find me obsessively checking my bank balance and wondering if I’m a millionaire yet. However, the truth is that budgets take time, patience, and a bit of trial and error before they really produce significant results.

6. You Really, Really Hate Budgets

Hey, a budget isn’t the be-all, end-all to financial management. If the sight of budgeting software makes you steam, explore other methods of managing your money without all the spreadsheets and columns.

Final Word

If you stick to it, a budget is going to work. It can help you make smarter financial choices and give you a sense of control over where your money is going each month. However, budgeting is not an exact science. It takes work, tweaking, practice, and a lot of trial and error to make it effective in the real world. If yours is tanking, don’t ditch it. Just retool it and try again until you find the right balance.