The JAVA Budget

Make JAVA days, better days, with a JAVA Budget.

The sunny JAVA months make it easy to unwind. Unfortunately, it can also mean unwinding financially. You may probably be wondering, “What does “JAVA” mean?” Well, in case you missed it, “JAVA” is simply an acronym for the July-August Vacation.

For the most part, your finances get derailed during this period of the year as a result of many personal  commitments or responsibilities that arise which include:

• graduation ceremonies for children
• family gatherings
• fetes
• travelling
• shopping (personal & back-to-school)
• youth camp and
• various activities that you enjoy with your children, nieces or nephews

This can often lead to the reckless utilization of credit, which is very common during this time when you are usually of the notion that you will figure it out later, instead of paying for it upfront. Many times the regular income, plus the monthly bills are not enough to cover the overspending from JAVA. In order to effectively manage overspending during JAVA, we recommend that you plan a JAVA Budget.

Planning goes hand in hand with budgeting and it is beneficial in helping you to develop a financial routine and discipline. It is akin to adopting a particular diet and conducting a daily exercise routine. In essence, it allows you to groove to a controlled financial rhythm that can prove to be financially vital during JAVA.

Here are some helpful tips when setting a JAVA Budget:

1. Planning in advance

It is advisable that you plan your major expenditure items in advance. For instance, overseas travel costs tend to escalate during the JAVA period. As such we suggest you set a travel budget where you start budgeting for travel expenditure as early in the year as possible to offset some of your vacation costs. One way you can do this is by calculating on average, how much you will need to spend on your vacation and dividing that amount by at least six (indicative of the number of months prior to your overseas vacation). Place that amount in your savings account every month until you are ready to utilize it. The TTSEC can assist in the budget allocation and calculation process by offering you an easy-to-use online budget calculator which can be accessed via this web link à  https://investucatett.com/budget-calculator/

2. Be credit-cautious

While using credit cards are an easy and effective way to execute your purchases, ensure that you have enough cash to repay your credit card debt in full each time the balance due date comes around. The smaller the balance, the less you throw away in interest each month.

3. Track Expenses

If you do not know how much you spend on a daily, weekly and monthly or even annual basis, tracking your expenses allows you to see issues that loom on the horizon, instead of realizing you have overspent later on. It is also recommended that you use a spending app to separate fixed costs from variable expenses. Some Apps include: PocketGuard, Wally Next, Wallet, MoneyStrands, Money Lover and Dollarbird, just to name a few. Setting checkpoints halfway through the month can also help you plan better and curtail spending.

Overall, JAVA is here to be enjoyed to the fullest, but don’t forget to plan wisely, and well in advance, and to set your budget!