Vacation Plan

You may be ready for that summer vacation, oh lets face it you were probably ready when last summers vacation was over. Your vacation should be a time to relax and do what you want with your family. So dont let it follow you home on your credit card. The best vacations are the funtimes you remember and the stories you can tell to others about them, not a monthly bill with a minimum payment. So here are a few tips that might help you out. 1. After you plan on where you are going determine how much you will have to spend from the time you leave till the time you get back. 2. Plan your activities for the day and set aside the cash you will need for the day and when you have spent it your done for that day. Dont borrow from the next day because you will miss out on the things you have planned to do and be tempted to use credit. 3. What you need to plan for, Food(you can save $ here maybe if you dont eat out all three meals but dont work to hard fixing food, remember it is a vacation) Travel expenses such as gas, or plane tickets, and food while traveling. 4. Gifts, dont forget you may want a gift for someone, or even better a gift for yourself. 5.Always add some cushion into your vacation budget because something unexpected may come up, a good guess could be 20-30% of the total vacation cost. 6. If you are leaving the country a good idea is to check out travel insurance, your trip could be cancelled or interrupted and you will have no vacation and they will keep your money without insurance. Also most health insurances dont cover out of the country medical needs, check yours and look in to buying the extra medical insurance. Make sure you fully understand the insurance products you purchase, use a trusted travel agent for suggestions. You dont want your trip of a lifetime to go down the tubes because of a volcano or something. 7.Have a great time, spend time with family and friends. Most kids dont remember everything about the expensive vacations mom and dad took them on but they do remember the time and the little things that you dont have to pay for.

Alright you might ask where do I start with a personal financial plan, then you might panic and think oh no I will not be able to have fun anymore, I cant come out of the house except on triple cupon Thursday. You may have to cut back on some things for a while but the goal is as Dave Ramsey says live like no one else so later you can live like no one else. I kind of like that goal. So how do you get started, well I hate to use profanity but you need a budget, or if you like, you can church it up and call it a cashflow plan. A good way to find out what you spend is to keep track of every dollar you spend for a month, yes you will be suprised, but you will know where it is going. Start your budget by writing down what you know you are paying regularly and give your best guess at everything you dont know. Then keep track so you can adjust and find out the true amount you are spending. It usually takes aroud three to four months to get it going right but you will get there. You must be consistent in doing it for it to work and no one ever budgets perfectly so leave a little wiggle room for mistakes. Once you get everything down, you will be able to do your monthly budget in about 15 to 20 minutes a month. Dont forget those things you pay for non-monthly like quarterly car insurance, and oh yeah I checked the calender and Christmas is in December this year. Your kids will also grow over the summer so might want to get them some clothes that fit, if not they can see a counselor later in life. A budget works, but you just have to take the time and do it.

Whats a plan?

I thought I would get started in the blog world and here I am! What is a plan, do you have one, do you need one or do you even want one? It took me a while to realize you can definantely go by a plan you create or you will go by someone elses. I like to be a little more in control of where I am going so I know when I get there. I have heard it said that you create a plan and you create your destiny. I have also found out that God has a plan for you and He is waiting to get you in on it. I love to help people in creating a financial plan for their lives, I have found out if you dont create your own plan that the bank, credit card companies and markerters have a plan already for us! Guess who their plan benefits, not you ! So with that in mind where do you want to be in your financial life a year form now or five years from now or when you retire? The credit card companies know where they want you to be, do you? So start to create your financial destiny now!