A Single Budget: Those Unexpected Expenses
For some, it is pretty easy to stick to a Spending Plan except when budgeting for unexpected expenses becomes necessary. Some of these expenses can be predicted, some are just pure, unwelcome surprises. It is important to have an emergency fund to take care of the unwelcome surprises that we know will happen from time to time.
However, there are many “unexpected” expenses that, with a little thought and planning, can be budgeted for in advance. Singles frequently tend to work more and socialize more because they often have fewer family obligations. In socializing, it is common to eat out a lot, celebrate lots of birthdays, weddings, babies and many other things. So we need to plan in our Spending Plan for things like gifts, dinner parties out, social events celebrating milestones like birthdays and graduations, etc.
We also have expenses that don’t occur every month. If we are not planning well, these expenses can turn into significant challenges for budgeting for unexpected expenses. Examples would be things like oil changes, car tags and registration, children’s school Field Trip costs, Christmas gifts, etc. It is important to anticipate these expenses and work them into your monthly Spending Plan.
Take a calendar and go month by month to help you anticipate these expenses. Working these into your Spending Plan will help you have more confidence in your plan and therefore help you be more successful.
