Budgeting Your Best Option Most people are stressed over high credit card bills, and high interest rates and monthly payments. People usually cringe when they hear the word budgeting. There really is no need to. You can relax about it. In fact, budgeting is the only way you will be able to have peace of mind and take control over your finances and avoid bankruptcy. You can clip out grocery coupons or check the mailers if any of the regular items you want to buy are on sale. You should always pay yourself first before spending money on anything. This means that you should always create a part of your household budget into savings. Every pay check, take 5 to 10% of your household income into your savings account and do not touch it. These fun, low-cost activities for your family can also boost your relationship with them as well as your finances. Ignore the neighbors. In this consumer culture, you may break out in a sweat when you see the neighbors' expensive new car, or hear about their ski trip to Switzerland. Always keep in mind your goals and stick with them. The key is to (1) find the persons who could offer the services you are looking for in the least amount there is in the market and (2) learn to apportion your money properly, or in other words, learn to budget. The first one is easy. All you have to do is scout, scout, scout: in the internet, thrift shops and local markets. When you see how much you've saved, you will, undoubtedly, never buy impulsively again. 3. START TO COUNT IT ALL DOWN Many people don't even know where their money is being spent. To them, budgeting finances is simply laying out the money on the table, apportioning them in envelops, and labling each envelop with Bills, Rent, Amortization, Transportation, Food. Simply put, activity based budgeting is the reverse of the activity-based costing process to produce financial plans and budgets. With the advent of powerful and low-cost database systems, activity based budgeting is allowing businesses to reduce costs, better utilize resources, and achieve strategic objectives.