I believe that the one best way to manage money better is the proper spending plan that works for you and your family.  It’s the one thing that can help families and individuals manage money better, not worry so much about money, and reach the goals they have with money. 

However, 38% of Americans do not have or use a spending plan to plan their spending. That being said, there is not the same focus and emphasis put on creating spending plans. The spending plan gives you a method of attack and a way to use your money as a tool. It’s like the directions that you read and use to put something together.

Interestingly, some people use budgets at their work and for pay jobs consistently, but not in their homes and household. We will stick to that budget at work at all costs.

We are evaluated, promoted, and fired based on sticking to the budget at work but do not hold ourselves to the same standards in our homes.  Companies, governments, and departments use spending plans like their lives depend on it, but at home, not so much.   

My goal with this blog is to make spending plans as usual, ordinary, positive, and functioning as your smartphone. 

By 2020, the number of smartphone users in the United States is estimated to reach 275.66 million.  Imagine all those people with working operational spending plans.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. 

Everything starts somewhere, and better money management by families and individuals begins with understanding the budgeting process and following through with your spending plan.  It does not start with your credit report and does not start with your mortgage.  I am not saying that the credit report is not important, and that credit is not useful, but it is not first. 

I am not sure why people are more concerned with their credit report than their spending plan.  However, I am concerned about this, and with this BLOG, trying to change this. 

I intend to be radical about this because I believe this so strongly.  I am credible and an educated financial teacher/coach/counselor. I have a financial planning certificate, which means that I have taken all of the coursework to sit and take the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification exam.  Additionally, I hold a Master Certified Practitioner in Financial Capability (CPFinCap) certification. 

I only state this because I could talk about credit and credit reports.  I have done tax preparation for over 20 years, and I could talk about taxes, and I may as time goes on, but right now, it’s all about the spending plan.

One thing for sure is that if you are not working from a spending plan or budget as you manage your money, you are not managing it effectively and the best you can. 

In one class I was teaching a gentleman stated that he did not have the money, discretionary funds to plan a budget. My response was that if he did not know where he was spending his money, how does he know he has no discretionary money or places where he can cut some spending. Most of us do not spend money wisely and waste money often. 

I hope that something I say on this BLOG provokes you to begin to look at creating a spending plan as a way to finally start winning with money and then to help you in that effort.  Why do people not create spending plans?   Why do people not stick to a budget?  Why does budgeting seem so difficult?  These are just some of the questions that I would like to tackle with this BLOG.  Is there anything else you would like me to address?