The Check Out Check Up

Dear Dollar Stretcher, 
My family is really struggling with our budget. We are a family of five spending approximately $500 per
month on groceries and household items. Do you think we could do better? I use coupons, buy only
generic and sale items at the local grocery store. What else can I do?! Would I save more money or
get more for my money if I shopped at the big warehouses like Priceclub? 
Pam 

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Creating your Budget

Financial experts advise that one should have 3 to 6 months of your take-home pay set aside as your emergency fund.  This emergency fund could be for those rainy days’ events, like an electrical appliance broke down and urgently need to be replaced, a family member becomes ill, or loss of employment.  3 to 6 months’ of  your take-home pay sounds like an impossible task, especially for the young working person like me.  However, it is always good to start, and what better way then to do it monthly, starting with your pay check? A budget is then needed for you to help establish your spending and saving patterns.  Soon, you will start to see your nest egg building up, and when you have build up your emergency fund, you can start to think about investing and even retirement.

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