When it comes to money, it can feel like you have to grow up fast. Between the pressure of paying off student debts, saving up for those rainy days and not to mention your retirement saving, and of course, the expensive housing market, paychecks are in high demand with not enough money to cover everything that needs to be paid, and that is where the issues comes in.
Of course, it doesn’t help that
in your twenties, often life is about more than your finances; you simply want to let loose and have fun while you’re young. This can mean going out for dinner a lot, having drinks on the weekends, shopping whenever and wherever you want to (guilty). The fact is that for the most part, the majority of people in their twenties don’t take their finances seriously enough, which can lead to all kinds of issues occurring, both now and in later life. I know this from experience.
Bearing that in mind, it’s more clear than ever that you need to take your finances seriously, because if you don’t, you will end up struggling not only to lead the life that you want to, but also struggling to make ends meet. The good news is that there are steps that you can take to ensure that this isn’t the case and that you are able to handle your finances properly even in your twenties.
To help you
get a better handle on your finances, below are some tips and advice for handling a range of financial situations in the best ways possible.
Getting paid a good wage
Don’t splurge. It’s an easy mistake to make. You’ve probably spent years being broke while you were a student and now that you’re out in the world, enjoying life and earning a good income, you most probably feel like you deserve to treat yourself to new clothes, a new car, a fancy new place to live, and so on. However, splurging too soon can lead to financial disaster. You need to continue to live like a broke student while you get to grips with earning a good wage and learn how to
spend every penny wisely.
Getting paid a good wage is a good thing, but the fact is that if you don’t know how to cope with this situation, it can lead to all kinds of problems. You can easily get into the habit of overspending, which is not a habit that you want to be in, because that is how you end up in a mess with your finances. It’s far better to spend less than you earn and actually live within your means, as this is a habit that can be extremely useful throughout life.
Struggling with finance
Sometimes, no matter how hard you work,
you can end up struggling with your finances. There isn’t always enough money to make ends meet, regardless of how hard you work or how much you try to ensure that you are budgeting effectively. When you end up in somewhat of a ‘sticky’ financial situation, getting out of it can be hugely stressful. Because often you don’t know what to do or where to turn - it can be a total struggle coping with the situation that you are in, especially if you need the money urgently.
When it comes to coping with a lack of funds, the good news is that there are a lot of options that you can consider. One of which is considering taking out a loan to help you get back on track, as this can make coping a little easier. Of course, it’s only a good idea to take out a loan if you know for sure that it’s affordable to pay it back. If you have bad credit you might be worried about your ability to get a loan but you will be surprised to hear that there are plenty of
online personal loans for bad credit, so there’s no need to panic. Just make sure that if you do opt to take out a loan that you are certain that the repayments are affordable, otherwise you may end up in an even worse position than you’re already in.
Getting a credit card
Credit cards are a great resource to have, but if they’re not carefully managed they can lead to financial ruin, which is why if you’re able to take a credit card out, it’s essential that you know how to be a responsible credit card user and don’t make the mistake of going over your credit card limit or failing to make payments. It’s easy to spend money when it’s there, but this is not the mindset that you should get into. You need to get into the mindset of only using your credit card when you need to and only for essentials, not for luxuries.
It’s essential that you know how to
be smart about using your credit card and only use it as and when you need to. A good habit to get into is to use your credit card to buy groceries and petrol and then pay it off at the end of each month when you get paid, so that you never end up maxing out your credit card and always have available funds on it for emergency situations. A credit card can be your best friend in emergency situations, it’s just a case of actually taking the time to learn how to use your credit card properly.
When you’re in your twenties, it’s difficult to know how to manage your money effectively. You’re fairly new to adult life, everything is different, you’re living alone for the first time and you have a lot to think about. Managing your money is not always an easy task, as there’s a lot that you need to think about. However, if you are smart about how you manage different situations, you can ensure that when it comes to your finances, you don’t end up in a mess and struggling to make ends meet.
Xo
