Our little business is doing pretty well, by my calculations. I’ve gone through our monthly earnings and I have no idea why my sister always cries that we’re broke. When I factor in how much we SHOULD be spending on employee wages and monthly bills, we should still have a considerable amount left.
So, I came up with a budgeting plan, and working on the month by month basis rather than just using whatever is in the account.
But she won’t let me help with our finances. She says she’s already budgeting, but I suspect she’s been using extra shop money for her own benefit.
What can I do?
I’m tired of getting disconnect notices and our window washers won’t come because she doesn’t pay them. She’s irresponsible and even though I’m 8 years younger, I handle money better than she does. Out of the three of us, its only my sister that refuses to let me help.

I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to see our business run into the ground because she doesn’t budget well.

Sit down with her and a book keeper, hash out what each of you is supposed to be overseeing, the company funds need to be 100% accountable.

If they’re not willing to do this, then either buy them out and do it alone or have them get out of the business because your business is not going to survive. Getting her out of the money side completely would need to be done.

Say you’re broke. You got in a few fights with your neighbor and it cost you a lot of money. Your other neighbor was in trouble and you loaned him a lot of money. You’re spent. You’re tapped out.

Now you’re in trouble…

You have to cut your family budget.

You’re at the point where you have to make a decision between cancelling your $300/mo gun membership (you already have 300 but you get 30 new guns this year if you stay a memeber!) & having clean water. What would you choose?

If I already have 300 guns, what the hell do I need any more for. I would cancel my gun membership you azzhat. But I never would have gotten in a fight with my neighbor and would never have loaned my other neighbor any money in the first place, so I would not be in that position. That’s people’s problem, they make bad life choices and want someone ELSE to pay for it. BTW, if I DID want 300 more guns, it’s not YOUR business or the Gubmit’s.

If you don’t mind, could you include your categories?

My budget is fairly detailed

My Fixed
- Mortgage & Property Tax
- Strata Fees
- Electricity
- Gas
- TV/Netflix
- Telephone/Cell Phone
- Internet
- House Insurance
- Car Payments
- Vehicle Insurance
- Preschool
- Life Insurance

- Pet Insurance
- Home Security
- Medicine

My Variable
- Allowances
- Gas – Vehicle
- Repairs/Maintenance (house/vehicle)
- Public Transit
- Groceries/Personal Care
- Entertainment
- Clothing
- Pets
- Gifts
- Vacation
- Recreational Activities
- Charity
- Emergency Fund
- Savings

Just think how much better the economy would be if health care premiums were half what they are for most family’s, and the extra money would go into the economy.

Because almost every American expects to have every possible test done. MRI for a twisted ankle. And then will threaten to sue if everything isn’t done, even if it isn’t necessary

I currently have a tracfone but i rarely use it. I want a phone that i will use all the time, but for a family on a budget. Any ideas? My friend has straight talk and She said it was pretty good. I went on their website and saw they had a phone with a touch screen and i really want a phone like that. Any ideas?

For unlimited everything I believe Boost mobile has the best prices.
Boost mobile (which runs on the sprint network) has android and has good unlimited prices. The plans start at 50 per month for unlimited every thing. Their plan comes with "shrinkage" so your phone bill will go down 5 bucks every 6 months until you get to 35 bucks per month.

So the prices would be like this after 6 months $45 per month, then after 6 more months you’re at $40 per month then another 6 later months you’re down to $35 per month.

No family has the world reserve currency. Why do people keep falling for this idiotic comparison?
@ Ken B- You are one the dumbest people I have ever seen post on this website. You are the one that does not understand.

because they have no actual clue as to the actual purpose or function of the gov…

all you have to do is look at the horrible mess that so many states have gotten themselves in with their "balanced budget" amendments to see how bad of an idea it is to compare the two…

I wanted to invite another mother and her child to go see a children’s disney live concert. Am I expected to pay for her and her child as well? Would be fun to have another family with us but tickets are $40 a piece and that is tight on a family budget. What is the rules of etiquette on this?

not if you make it clear upfront that you’d like them to go but you can’t afford to pay.

REDUCE EAT OUTS AND MOVIES…

Copyright (c) 2008 Virginia Ginsburg

In the current economic climate, it seems as if everyone is looking for ways to save a little more money. While many people think that “Going Green” means spending more, it really doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, if you think about it, some of the “Greenest” activities that you can undertake are free or lower cost than their alternatives. So, consider some of the many ways that you can cut back on your budget while simultaneously improving the positive impact you make on the world.

We’re going to focus today on the first two sentiments of the classic environmentalist call to action: Reduce; Reuse; Recycle. It’s an oldie-but-goodie when it comes to being green and saving green.

REDUCE
One of the biggest impacts you can make on the Earth is to reduce the number of items you consume on a daily basis.

First, drive less. It is quite fashionable today to drive less, given the $3+ cost-per-gallon of gas. To support this economical and Earth-friendly practice, look for easy ways to cut back on your gas bills by taking public transportation if it’s available. Carpooling is a great idea, but even if it doesn’t work every day, try to share a ride with friends or family once per week when you’re out and about. Also try to minimize your shopping trips. For example, if you currently visit the grocery store four times per week, commit to creating a shopping list, and you can cut that down to just two times per week quite easily.

Second, buy less. With the holidays right around the corner, it might be hard to imagine buying less, but a truly Green consumer weighs each purchase based on how it impacts the Earth. For example, you must consider the environmental costs involved in growing, harvesting, producing, packaging and transporting all items. From a green perspective, you need to take all of these issues into account when making a purchase, but from a budgeting perspective, you should also consider the very first question a true environmentalist should ask: do I really need to buy this item? Many things that we buy for ourselves and others end up cluttering our personal space, and then ultimately are discarded to clutter a landfill Instead of adding to this problem, double- and triple- think every purchase before making it.

REUSE
Once you have made the decision to purchase an item, before discarding it, consider the ways in which you might be able to re-use it. Here are five easy ways to reuse items:

1. Instead of purchasing containers for storing your leftovers, wash out glass jars from pasta sauce and plastic yogurt container and reuse them.

2. Save Ziploc bags used for storing bread, keeping crackers fresh, and other dry items and use them again and again for the same purpose. Most of the time you just need to shake out the crumbs and you’re ready to go again!

3. Dry out your produce bags after each trip to the grocery store and then put them in your shopping bags (you do reuse your shopping bags, right?!?) so that they are ready to go next time you visit the store.

4. If you use a paper towel to wipe up a small water spill or for any other light job, simple put it off to the side and use it again later in the day for a more serious (or another light) job.

5. If you forget to bring a shopping bag, or simply can’t avoid getting a plastic bag at the check-out, be sure to re-use the bag a few more times. Then recycle it – most grocery stores have a receptacle in front that is specifically for plastic shopping bags.

Virginia Ginsburg