MKUU MONEY

The holidays are quickly approaching once again, which lead me to my next subject - MONEY. Do you ever have enough, the short answer is Hell to the NO. But at the end of the day, you can thwart expense woes by planning properly. Understand your budget perimeters and how to stay within the realms. Learning how to expand your budget without destroying you free time. But in this day and age, what is free time? Seriously. Just wanted to give a few pointers on how to do this without to much of a fuss.

First and foremost, determine your monthly income and establish a budget. You must include the monthly expenses that don't fluctuate, like rent, car note and insurance as well as daily expenses like gas and lunch. Next you need to incorporate savings, because you have to save for the things that you want. I am not to big on credit purchases, only when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, you should save up for larger items. My mother recommended money jars or you can implement the 50/ 30/ 20 rule for savings. 50% for expenses, 30% for things we want and 20% for savings.

You can earn extra money without much effort or time. Working part time as a brand ambassador. Is super easy if your outgoing and have a vehicle since travel is usually required. Selling used and unwanted items on Ebay or Craigslist for a quick buck. If you are good with your hands there is TaskRabbit or Amazon Home Services, where you can sale your handy skills and time to do local tasks. And of course, there is always driving for Uber or Lyft. You can even offer your services to decorate homes for the holidays - put up Christmas lights and all the trimmings. The list goes on and on for ways to earn extra income around the holidays.

Another key when it comes to savings is to make sure you keep a calendar, so you are aware when payments are due. It's the worst when you have to pay late fees. Also, reward yourself for sticking to your budget. All work and no play is BORING. So if you didn't establish a Christmas account earlier in the year, don't worry about it. Don't go into debt buying holiday gifts. It's truly not worth it, trust me. Try inexpensive gift cards or maybe have everyone over for a holiday meal that you prepared - and that will be their gift. Keep in mind that you have a savings plan and don't do the most so you are completely off track after the holidays end. Make sure you tell them where you heard it from.... MKUU