[tag]Halloween[/tag] is just around the corner and if you have kids this can really screw up your monthly budget. It is reported Americans will spend $4.96 billion this year on Halloween related stuff. Candy, costumes, party stuff, etc… I know our family will spend $80 this year on Halloween. $30 on a costume for our child and the rest for candy decorations and little party we are planning.

How do I know I will spend $80 this year? Because we budgeted for it! That’s the key. Our child will have a great Halloween and we will not suffer from a financial hangover 30 days later. This holds true for Christmas. We already have our [tag]budget[/tag] and have saved all year to meet that goal. Again we want to avoid holiday financial hangovers.

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on holidays that revolve around kids; because we all want our children to be happy. But it’s a balancing act which requires discipline from the parents. By budgeting you create a win, win situation for everyone.

Don’t let this post scare you out of having a good time this Halloween but do keep your monthly budget in mind as you head out to the stores in the next couple weeks.

A report form the Energy Department is predicting gas bills will be down about $119 this year. If this is the case, this is a great opportunity to use it to pay off more debt. 🙂

The bad news is if you use oil to heat your home your bill will be about $91 from last year. Time now to budget for this up tick.

Families using natural gas should expect to pay an average of $119 less during the upcoming winter compared to last year, a decrease of 13 percent, the Energy Department said.

Associated Press Business News: Winter Heating Bills Likely to Be Lower – MSN Money

technorati tags:gas bills, heat, budget

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technorati tags:NetworthIQ, reducing debt, social personal finance manager

We suffered from the same issues until I decided enough was enough. I pulled out a regular sized envelope and each month we take receipts and put them into the envelope. This is a daily task and everyone in our household is on board. But before the receipts go in the envelope it goes into Microsoft money so we can track our expenses.

We are all about the budget. Yes the “B” word. Get over it, it’s really not that bad.

Each month we get a new envelope and start over again. It now it’s a house hold habit and we are much more in control of our paper work and finances.

If you asked me to find a receipt to return something – I would be looking for hours. My paper files are an absolute mess for this year. I have about three places around the house where there are piles of papers that are just waiting for their homes.

Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » What Number Confession am I on Now??

technorati tags:budget, debt