Don’t stress about money – managing seasonal expenses!

Seasonal expenses & unforeseen issues…

One of the things that causes many people stress is money – or lack of it. For many of us, every month is a struggle financially, and all it takes is for some additional factor such as seasonal expenses to cause us to run into difficulties. For one reason or another there always seems to be too much month at the end of the money and we start getting stressed about needing some emergency cash to see us through.

How can we get out of this cycle and ensure that we have enough money left at the end of the month to cover all our expenses – even the unforeseen extras?

Here is a way to overcome financial stress that is as easy as ABC!

Act

The first way of dealing with any stressful situation is to face it head on and decide to take some action to put you back in control. So even just by reading this article you are doing that!

Budget

The next thing to do is to ensure that you have a realistic monthly budget that you can use to manage your money carefully. See our recent article LINK Is it possible to make a budget work? for more information.

Contingency

Any effective budget will include some provision for when things go wrong. So, for example if you do have unexpected bills or seasonal expenses then there will be money to cover this.

Like many of us, you may draw up a budget and find that you don’t really have enough money to comfortably get through each month. So whilst facing up to things and drawing up a budget is a really good start – and in itself will make you feel better about things – then you will most probably have to make further plans either to bring in some additional cash or to be more disciplined about saving money rather than spending it!

Here are our Top Ten Tips for generating extra income. Some of them are longer term strategies but there are some that you could implement very quickly if you need same day or next day cash.

  1. Take on regular additional work for example evening or weekend bar work
  2. Offer a paid service such as babysitting, dog walking, cleaning or garden clearance
  3. Do admin or computer work from home via websites such as Upwork or Amazon
  4. Join a franchise to run sales parties eg cosmetics, candles or household goods
  5. Sell some of your goods online eg eBay or other sites
  6. Sell valuable items such as jewellery and cameras to specialist shops
  7. Raise money on items that you don’t want to sell by pawning them then buying them back later
  8. Do car boot sales regularly
  9. Create home made items to sell in local craft fairs
  10. Have a variety of savings jars at home and/or work that you put money into, perhaps for specific “sins “ such as a swear box or a negativity box, or to put in the equivalent amount every time you buy chocolate – whatever is going to work for you!

If you are really feeling stressed about finances then, in addition to the above, you may want to talk to someone. Many debtors are prepared to arrange alternative payment plans if needed, so for example you may be able to spread out payments that are worrying you over a longer period. Or for impartial financial advice the Citizens Advice Bureau can also be very helpful.

So don’t stress about money. There are things you can do to get yourself out of a difficult position and to start managing your money better in future. Let’s hope that by the next Stress Awareness Month in April 2017 you will have found a positive way forward financially and money is no longer something you feel stressed about!

*All figures and rates correct at time of writing