Family Finance: Budgeting

couple struggling over bills using laptop with children nearby
Most of us do not have enough money to buy everything we want. Instead we need to make choices. Some of our choices may be dreams and many times those dreams require money. To make dreams a reality, we need to write goals.

Goals

Good money management is about using what you have to get what you want, your goals. Financial goals can be short term or long term. Learn about gathering information, setting financial goals and tracking progress.

Two-Earner Households

Learning to combine resources including paychecks and how to make finances run smoothly in a two-earner household can cause conflicts. There are numerous questions that need to be discussed and considered. Become informed about various ways of managing and budgeting the income of two adults.

Most people have developed and tried to live with a budget. And for some, budgeting is a process that works.

Tips on how to talk to spouse, children, family about money

Cash Flow Planning

There is another process besides budgeting for planning and tracking income and expenses through time. Cash flow planning may be more appropriate for some people than the traditional budget. It takes the process of budgeting one step further by looking at expenses and income over a period of time.


This article has been written and reviewed by UNL Extension Educators and Specialists.

UNL Extension Resources for your family finances

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Food.unl.edu
-- Money saving ideas for shopping, cooking and meal planning, Cook it Quick newsletter and recipes.

eXtension - National Extension resources on personal finance.