#GTKnowledgeisMoney – How to Live Within Your Means
6 Nov 2017
Financial Literacy Month is happening throughout the month of November and focuses on strengthening the financial literacy of Canadians.
Grant Thornton Limited has launched the #GTKnowledgeIsMoney series, a campaign focused around money tips from experts and peers. Everyone has different financial needs at different times in their lives and it’s important to understand what steps you can take to create a better future for yourself or family. We want to help Canadians learn more about how to manage their finances and what they can do to strengthen their financial knowledge.
This week’s topic is about how to live within your means.
Living within your means is an ongoing process that helps you achieve your financial goals. Here is our step by step guide to help you get started:
- Set a budget
- Half the battle is knowing how much money you make and what you need to spend every month.
- Know the difference between needs and wants
- Go back to the basics and prioritize your spending. Create a list of the essentials that are needed to survive and budget from there.
- Do not rely on credit cards
- Credit cards provide a false sense of security for your monthly budget. These funds are not free and come with a price that effects your future cash flow.
- Create an emergency fund
- Saving up a nest egg for those months when expenses can run higher than your income will lessen the burden to your budget and reduce your use of credit.
Grant Thornton Limited is a team of Licensed Insolvency Trustees who provide expert advice to clients who are looking for financial guidance and assistance across the country. Grant Thornton offers clients help with financial counselling, debt restructuring, consumer proposals and bankruptcy. Find an office near you for a free consultation by clicking here.
Want a chance to win a $500 prize? All you need to do is share your money management advice online with us using the hashtag #GTKnowledgeisMoney, tagging Grant Thornton Limited on Facebook or @GTDebtRelief on Twitter.
For full contest rules, click here.
Check back next Monday to read our advice on how to manage money for student life.