This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Budget Mondays 9/2/2013

Monday – 9/2/2013

The Labor Day Edition of Budget Mondays

It’s Monday – a painful day for most people, yours truly included. Sometimes it is made even more painful as we remember just how much money we ended up spending over the weekend.

Find out what's happening in Montclairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Budget

It’s one word that can make people cringe, angry and sad all at the same time; a rare occurrence indeed. There are plenty of reasons for this – people are told at work that their budgets are being cut, their ideas cannot be funded because they are not in the budget, and in our personal life, our budgets don’t usually quite match up to our desires.

Find out what's happening in Montclairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Happy Labor Day! I hope that everyone has enjoyed the Labor Day weekend with their friends and loved ones doing whatever activities bring you the most summertime happiness. The Labor Day weekend represents the last blast of summer, but it is important to also think about the next part of the year. Fall is coming, and almost everyone will be getting busier and have less time to think and plan – budgeting is not immune to this. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few tips that can help keep our budgets on track, and help us navigate the fall in a wallet-friendly manner.

Just like you can find deals on winter coats in April, you can find deals on virtually all warm/hot weather products in the fall. Many retailers mark down, aggressively, their hot weather merchandise, so this could be a good time to get a jump start on some of items you might need for next spring. In addition to clothing, most types of lawn care products are put on sale as well – spring will be back before you know it, so stocking up now could save big bucks later.

Take a few minutes over the next few weeks and do some preparation for the colder weather ahead. Disconnecting your sprinkler system, resetting your thermostat, and weatherizing your home, i.e., making sure to fix any drafty windows or doors can result in savings related to your fall/winter utility bills.

Last, but not least, stay consistent. Everyone has a little more free time in the summer, and this extends to personal financial education. It is easy, however, to let budgetary discipline slide as we become busier and more active in the fall/winter season. With the additional expenses of the holiday shopping, school-related activities, and holiday gatherings, this can result in significant budget overages. Stay consistent, track your spending, and stick to your plan.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?