Quick Budgeting Tip..

Lets take it up a notch! Instead of only calculating your monthly expenses, try calculating your expenses for the entire year. I'll give a quick example using random numbers of average monthly expenses. I'll try to make it as simple as possible to follow.

Rent-$700
Utilities-$150
Phone-$65
Car-$300
Insurance-$150
Food-$150
Gas-$100
--------------------
Total-$1615 per month

Multiply that by 12(months in a year) to get a total average of your yearly expenses, which equals $19,380..

Next, take whatever your salary is per year and subtract $19,380 from it. For example, lets say your salary, or what you make per year, averages at $30,000.

$30,000-$19,380=$10,620, which means $885 per month that should go into your saving.

So $10,620 is what you will have left from the year if you stay true to your monthly/yearly budget. Lets say you want a little leeway. Once you know the amount you should have left over from your yearly expenses-income, then make a goal of how much you want in your bank account at the end of the year.

Lets say you want to make sure that at-least $8500 makes it into your savings account for the end of that year.
So you then subtract the $10,620-$8500, and you will get $2120, which is your leeway money for the year.

You can divide that $2120 by 12(months in a year) to get your leeway money for the month, which averages about $175. That's the money you can use to shop, for emergencies, for entertainment, to invest, etc. etc....or to just save and add to your next month for a big expense, travel etc.

My overall point is to always have an idea of what you are working with, and not only for the month, but for the entire year. That way you get even a clearer picture of how your money is spent, and you work towards a clearer goal.

Also, IMO Cable is not necessary when there is youtube and so many places on the internet where you can see your favorite shows, movies, etc for free. You may have to wait a day or two, but that wait can save you hundreds per month, and over a $1000 per year. Just something to think about.