10步快速做好新年預算

Monthly Expense Sheet
The most traditional style of budget is one in which you track your expenses for a couple months and then use the figures to set a budget. This style of budget is more effective when you remember to create monthly allotments for irregular or annual expenses such as property taxes, car repair, home repair and gifts.
做好每月預算。最簡單的做預算的方法就是對自己每日的開銷進行預算。

Spreadsheet
Many people prefer the high-tech version of the old school expense sheet, entering figures on a spreadsheet that delineate income and expenses. A spreadsheet makes it easier to keep track of the short-term Savings you accrue to cover irregular expenses.
使用電子製表軟體。電子製表軟體更容易追蹤自己短期內的花銷。

Pay Yourself First
David Bach and other financial authors are fans of this method of budgeting that lays down one key ground rule: as soon as you get paid, transfer a percentage of your pay into a savings account. The remaining money is left for you to spend according to whatever budget you determine useful. The savings account should have a portion that is untouchable.
合理規劃工資。很多金融專家都建議，可以將自己工資中的一部分存成定期，將剩餘的用於花銷。

Cash Only
Another way people create a budget is by withdrawing a fixed amount of cash once a week. They use cash to cover all incidental expenses outside of monthly bills. This budget works best for someone who can control spontaneous purchases.
多使用現金支付。每個星期可以提前取出一定數額的現金做備用，這也是堅持自己預算的一個好辦法。

Automatic Savings Plan
In the age of Internet banking, it is a snap to create an automatic savings plan that incurs no fees. In this budget model, you create separate accounts with different savings goals. One may cover long-term needs such as retirement or college tuition and another may be intended for shorter-term goals, such as holiday gifts.
使用自動存錢計劃。在這個網上銀行覆蓋的年代，制定一個自動存錢計劃是必須的。

Budget Calculator
For those who prefer an interactive approach, using an online budget calculator can be effective. The Mapping Your Future website (see Resources) has a simple page listing categories for you to fill out with your expenses. After entering the various figures, you receive a total of monthly and annual discretionary income.
使用預算計算器。很多人喜歡互動的方式，這種情況下網上預算計算器就是一個最佳的選擇了。

Keep the Change
Some people have their monthly expenses under control but desire a simple method for saving for things like a digital camera or a weekend trip. One easy and fun method is to keep a coffee can or jar in the refrigerator. Every time you purchase something, use only bills to pay for it. Transfer the change to your stash of cool cash. Raid the change only when you have accrued enough money to pay for your goal item.
儲存好零錢。一個堅持自己預算的好辦法就是儲存好零錢，以備超支時使用。

Fixing a Broken Budget
The Kiplinger financial website (see Resources) has a helpful worksheet for figuring out where your budget has sprung a leak. The worksheet contains typical categories for budgeting, but then provides two columns, one for projected expenses and one for actual expenses. By listing both of these figures, people can see where they overspend and underspend in relationship to their intended budget.
找到自己預算的漏洞。大家可以通過預算網上介紹的方法查出自己預算出差錯的地方。

Zero-Based Budget
In this hardcore budgeting technique, you (and a partner, if you share income and expenses) determine all of your income and all of your expenditures and create a budget that tracks every last dollar you will spend so that you have zero dollars left. The goal with this strategy is that you will include line items such as paying down debt, saving for retirement and saving for other long-term goals.
做好每一塊錢的預算。可以根據自己的花費將預算欄目分類，務必將最小的花費算上。

Spending Plan
This type of budget works best for people who need to figure out where they are overspending. Rather than work with actual numbers, which fluctuate from month to month, this plan focuses on recommended percentages. For example, if you find yourself spending 50 percent of your disposable income on food, you know you need to reevaluate your restaurant habit. Some percentages may not apply for everyone or for every situation. In general, aim to spend a maximum of 35 percent of your income on housing, 10 to 15 percent on food, 5 to 10 percent on utilities, 10 to 15 percent on transportation, 5 to 10 percent on medical expenses, 10 percent on paying down debt, 10 percent on savings (to be increased when possible), and 5 to 10 percent on miscellaneous expenses.
找出自己花費的大項。對於那些希望通過做預算來存錢的人來說，找到自己花錢的大項是必須的，你可以將這些大項在預算中的比列弄清楚。