Being a parent is a rigorous enterprise. Being a single parent can seem like an uphill struggle. As we make a start on the New Year it can feel that while your childless and coupled friends are making the usual New Year’s resolutions about weight loss and career progression, you’re just hoping that you’ll be able to keep your head above water both financially and psychologically.
Coping with the harsh financial realities of being a single parent can be extremely emotionally demanding and place a great strain on your self-confidence. Nonetheless, you can and will achieve financial independence in 2018. You won’t even need to completely overhaul your day-to-day life to do it, either. It’s simply a case of making numerous small changes that will, over the course of the year, add up to big change!
Always Be Budgeting
Whether you’re recently single, or the journey of parenting is one that you’ve always undertaken alone, a well planned and realistic budget is the key to achieving financial independence. A budget is like a diet plan; easy to make but hard to stick to. In both cases, sticking meticulously to your budget will reap visible rewards as the months progress. You may not feel that you need to take the time to sit down and plan your budget, but if you don’t take this important first step all the little sundry expenses will soon add up! Here are some great budget templates that will work wonders for as long as you stick to them.
Be Powered by Plants
If you’re hoping to improve your family’s physical health as well as your financial health, modifying your diet is the easiest way in which to do this. Cutting down on budget-sapping restaurants and takeout is a no-brainer but making prudent choices at the supermarket can also go a ways towards improving your finances. Avoid processed and pre-packaged foods. These cheap and easy solutions may seem like a perfect solution for busy single parents but they’re a false economy in every sense. Load your trolley with fresh veggies and cut down on expensive meat and dairy products. Your family will get the nutrition they need to be happy, strong and healthy while your shopping will come in under budget every week.
Settle Your Debts
However well you manage your finances, it’s all too easy for the debts of years gone by to undo all your hard work. If you have several debts from credit cards or loans outstanding it can be stressful and difficult to manage, especially if you’re juggling several debts with different rates of interest. Getting help managing your debts is one of the surest ways of overcoming it. Get over to debtsettlement.co where you’ll find different debt management solutions compared and ranked. Consolidating your debts into a single debt with just one rate of interest makes your debt much more manageable.
With just a few phone calls and some shrewd decisions at the checkout, you’ll find that your finances slowly but steadily improve over the year so that you’ll see in 2019 from a place of financial independence and security.
