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 * About
   * Approach & Impact
   * Our Team
   * Canvass Jobs
   * Digital Canvass Jobs
   * Apply for a Job
   * Member Benefits
 * Campaigns
   * Affordable Connectivity
   * Black Worker Unemployment
   * Medicaid Renewal
   * Work in Minnesota
   * 2020-2024 Story
 * Issues
   * Corporate Accountability
   * Education
   * Good Jobs and a Fair Economy
   * Health Care
   * Workplace Rights
 * News
   * Articles
   * Blog
   * Press Releases
   * Reports
   * Research
 * Take Action
   * Join
   * Volunteer
   * Donate
   * Take Local Action
   * Take National Action
   * Fix My Job
   * Get Involved
   * Get Help
 * Education Fund
 * Search




GET READY: AN END-OF-YEAR GUIDE TO MAKING A FAMILY BUDGET

As we enter a time of change in America, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about
money. We worry about knowing we can cover the bills and whether we’re using our
money the right way.

One easy way to start feeling more in control is to make a monthly family
budget. Below are some important tools to help you set up a budget and reduce
your stress around money, as well as other advice for tough situations. 




HOW TO MAKE A FAMILY BUDGET 

Making a household budget is key to getting your family’s spending under control
and reducing your stress around money. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a
monthly household budget, with some helpful tools from the U.S. Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

You don’t have to follow every step. Use whatever tools below feel useful. It’s
all about helping you feel more in control of your money. 

 1. Track the money coming in. Start by getting a complete picture of all the
    money coming in, from your job or jobs that other members of your family
    have. Include other things like child support or government benefits,
    anything that helps you pay the bills. Use this helpful calculator below:

Click here to open the Income Tracker

 2. Where does my money go? The hardest part of any budget is figuring out what
    you’re really spending all of your money on in an average month. Start small
    and look at your expenses one week at a time by either reviewing your
    receipts or checking account, or try making a daily log to make sure you’re
    getting all the small expenses – that cup of coffee or pack of gum – that
    add up over time. (This is not the place to track your monthly bills, like
    rent or heat, that comes next.) Use the calculator below:

Click here to open the Spending Tracker

 3. What are my monthly bills and when do I pay them? Even if you know how much
    your monthly bills are, the timing could be making it tough to make ends
    meet. An important part of your budget is figuring out when in the month you
    need to cut back on spending so that you can cover the bills that are due.
    Use the tool below to set up a calendar. 

Click here to open the Bill Calendar

 4. Create your budget. Now pull everything together into a monthly plan that
    really works for you and your family. Put the information you’ve collected
    from your other worksheets here to figure out your budget. 

Click here to open the Budget Worksheet



WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE SHORT THIS MONTH

Sometimes, there just isn’t enough money in your budget to cover your bills. But
there are strategies for dealing with your bills that can help you get back on
your feet financially

Watch this video from the CFPB for Five tips when you can’t pay your bills:





TELL US WHAT FINANCIAL ADVICE YOU WISH YOU GOT WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER – SO WE CAN
SHARE IT WITH OTHERS

The best advice always comes from our own community – from our parents and
grandparents, our aunties and uncles, and from the older neighbor down the
street. Folks who have faced the same challenges we’re all facing and learned
something from it. 

If you’ve got one of those lessons in mind, share it with us! Tell us what
financial advice you wish you’d gotten when you were younger. 

Click here to share your financial advice with the community






LEARN MORE 

More helpful information on financial planning is available from the CFPB: 

 * Buying a house
 * Disasters and emergencies – A guide to handling your financial life as you
   prepare for natural disasters or events, or recover from a hurricane, flood,
   wildfire, or other emergency.
 * Filing your taxes
 * Getting an auto loan
 * Helping a loved one manage their money – For those of us with an elderly
   parent or another family member unable to make financial decisions. 
 * Money as You Grow – Help for parents and caregivers
 * Navigating the military financial lifecycle
 * Paying for college
 * Planning for retirement

Not sure where to start? Take the CPFB’s short Financial Wellness Quiz!




THE FIGHT AHEAD

Many of the programs that help working families could face changes or even total
shutdown in the months ahead. Working America will be joining our allies in
fighting for a fair economy and a government that gives working families what
they deserve. Our strength comes from you – our members. Only by acting together
can we fight back against the greedy corporations and their friends. 

We’re asking all Working Americans to pledge to stay informed about what our
leaders are doing about a fair economy and protecting consumers. Sign up here if
you pledge to be part of that fight and if you want Working America updates and
opportunities about a fair economy. 

Join the Fight! 


We know that these are uncertain times, and many of us are concerned about the
future. Go to workingamerica.org/gethelp for more guides and tips on navigating
the economy and preparing for the unknown. 




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 * About
   * Approach & Impact
   * Our Team
   * Canvass Jobs
   * Digital Canvass Jobs
   * Apply for a Job
   * Member Benefits
 * Campaigns
   * Affordable Connectivity
   * Black Worker Unemployment
   * Medicaid Renewal
   * Work in Minnesota
   * 2020-2024 Story
 * Issues
   * Corporate Accountability
   * Education
   * Good Jobs and a Fair Economy
   * Health Care
   * Workplace Rights
 * News
   * Articles
   * Blog
   * Press Releases
   * Reports
   * Research
 * Take Action
   * Join
   * Volunteer
   * Donate
   * Take Local Action
   * Take National Action
   * Fix My Job
   * Get Involved
   * Get Help
 * Education Fund
 * Search



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