

Installation payments, such as student loans and credit cards, also go in here. Some bills, such as your rent or mortgage, usually stay the same every month, while others are more variable (like utilities).Put in estimates as placeholders until the actual bills come. Some utility companies will allow you to pay average amounts all year, instead of having your bill fluctuate each month.Try to either round up or down to the nearest $10 for an average estimate on how much you spend for each item.Put in an estimate of your recurring bills (perhaps what you paid the previous year for that specific expense) but once the bill comes and you pay it, put the actual amount into your ledger. You may want to investigate this option if regularity is important to you. A great target is 10% of your paycheck.While not everyone can afford to save money on a regular basis, everyone should have it as a goal and do it if they possibly can. This is enough to make your savings grow fairly quickly while not so much that it will crimp other areas of your life. We all are too familiar with arriving at the end of the month and having nothing left over.
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Some banks have free savings programs you can enroll in, such as Bank of America’s "Keep the Change" program.Adjust the savings amount as necessary, or, better yet, adjust your spending if possible! Money you save can later be used to invest or you can save with some other purpose in mind, like buying a home, college tuition, vacations, or anything else.Don’t wait for there to be money left at the end of the month.
