One way to simplify your budget is to separate your expenses into categories. This gives you an easy way to spot where your money is going. Some basic categories include home, food, interest fees, auto, utilities, personal, savings and other miscellaneous expenses.

If you are setting up a budget worksheet on your own, here are some expense categories you can use. This list is based on the categories in PearBudget, a really great online budget tool.

Suggested budget categories

HOME
mortgage
property taxes
home insurance
home maintenance
rent
renters insurance

FOOD
groceries
dining out

DEBT
education loans
credit card interest

TRANSPORTATION
public transportation
parking
car gas
car maintenance
car taxes
car insurance
car payment

UTILITITES
electric bill
water bill
gas bill
cable
telephone
cell phone
internet access

PERSONAL
clothing
haircuts
entertainment
education
medical
health insurance
life insurance
gym membership

SAVINGS
retirement
college savings
emergency fun
vacation
investments

OTHER
church
gifts
miscellaneous

If you are looking for a free budgeting worksheet, you should check out PearBudget. It’s an easy online budgeting tool that helps you make a budget and get out of debt. If you are looking for a simple budgeting tool, this is something you’ll want to check out. It’s simple, straightforward and easy to use.

The nice thing about it is that by manually having to enter transactions each week into your budget program you tend to more carefully monitor your spending. Every time you enter a credit card charge, you feel the “pain” and drain of that expense on your bank account. It will probably take you about 10-20 minutes a week to enter your receipts manually into the system.

It’s free to try and only $3/month to upgrade to the full paid version.

Download PearBudget

Are you facing major credit card debt?

Consumer debt is at all all time high. In fact, it is believed that the average American household has 9 credit cards and an average credit card balance of $7,000.

If you are in debt and looking for help to manage your debt, here are some financial resources that offer debt counseling, financial education, and debt management advice that can help you.

Debt Advice - a service provided by the Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) to help members with debt management

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling - the NFCC is a nonprofit agency for counseling people to manage their debt and providing financial education

Money Management - a non profit community service organization that provides financial assistance and advice on debt management

Hope these debt counseling resources help you get ahold of your credit card debt and on your way to a healthier financial future.

Nonsufficient Funds. Those words can be very costly when it comes to overdrawing your bank account. Banks charge an average of $35 in overdraft fees, no matter how small the overdraw is. So how can you keep a better eye on your checkbook and avoid costly overdraft fees?

Here are 5 tips for avoiding bank overdraft fees

1) Never “wing it” writing a check hoping that your deposit has cleared. The chance that your check might clear before the deposit posts to your account is not worth the $35 overdraft fee.

2) Balance your checkbook regularly. It helps you find any checks you may have forgotten to enter. You can subtract any fees that were charged. This gives you a more accurate view of your account balance.

3) Talk with your spouse about ATM/Debit Card Use. When you don’t keep close track of what your better half is spending, it’s easy to accidentally overdraw your account. Get in the habit of telling your spouse what you spent so you have a better picture of what’s still in your bank account.

4) Keep a list of automatic payments. If you have the electric bill, phone bill, and other payments being pulled from your account, you need to track the amount of the payment and the date it is being pulled from the account. An excel spreadsheet is an easy way to create a checklist of automatic payments.

5) If you DO spot that a potential “close call” make a deposit to put extra money in your account as soon as possible. A payday cash advance from your next paycheck is a great way to avoid costly overdraft fees. In fact, the average payday loan fee is 2.3 times less expensive than bank and credit union overdraft charge.

Find out more today about how payday cash advances help you avoid costly overdraft fees.

Many politicians would have you believe that payday loan lenders are hurting consumers. They claim that payday loan lenders are overcharging consumers, targeting the poor, and creating unfair practices that create a spiraling cycle of loans. The truth of the matter is that when you look at the facts, instant payday loans provide a less expensive alternative to bank overdraft fees.

Here are some facts about payday loan lenders.

FACT 1: Payday Loan Customers are Middle Class, Not the Poor
The average instant payday loans customer makes over $41,000 annually, has some college education, and is not a minority. — Source: Georgetown University, Io Data, & the Cyprus Research Group Independent Study.

FACT 2: Payday Loan Customers Do Have Other Credit Available
85% of payday loan customers have access to other forms of credit — Source: Georgetown University, Io Data, & the Cyprus Research Group Independent Study.

FACT 3: Payday Loans Save you Money over Bank Overdraft Fees
The average payday loan fee is 2.3 times less expensive than bank and credit union overdraft charges with the average banks and credit unions charging overdraft fees ranging from $25-$35. In fact according to the Center for Responsible Lending in a 2005 Study, every year consumers are charged over 17.5 billion fees for overdraft loans.

FACT 4: Payday Loan Customers Value the Service
77% of customers who use payday loans are satisfied with their experience — Source: 2005 study by the Cyprus Research Group.

FACT 5: Payday Loan Customers Understand the Loan Terms
90% of respondents in a recent survey of 2000 randomly selected say payday loan customers understand the costs and terms of the loan.

When used responsibly payday loans are a safe and less expensive alternative to abusive overdraft fees charged by banks.

Find out more about how payday loan lenders offering instant payday loans help you avoid overdraft fees now.

You hear a lot of buzz about budgets, but how exactly can creating a budget help you? Setting a budget or spending plan allows you to track your income and expenses every month.  You can follow regular planned expenses as well as occasional and variable expenses too.

Here are 5 benefits of setting a budget.

1) BIG SNAPSHOT - Get a snapshot of your financial situation.  You know the big numbers for income, expenses, and what you have left over at the end of the month.

2) MICRO VIEW - By creating categories, you can see trends in areas where you may be spending more money than you’d like.

3) MAKE BETTER DECISIONS - Knowledge is power.  Seeing the facts helps you make adjustments and changes to cut expenses, increase savings, and ensure you are spending money on the things you value most

4) PLAN FOR FUTURE - Instead of being reactionary, having a budget allows you to choose where you want to put your money.  What are your financial goals? Do you want a retirement home? Do you want to travel? Are you saving for your kids education? Would you like to be financially free?

5) IMPROVED SELF CONFIDENCE - When you understand your financial habits, set goals, and make your own financial decisions, it puts you in control.  It gives you the power to change your financial future.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” If you desire a better financial future, dream it, create a budget, and you can make it happen!”

And in times when you have an expect that wasn’t in the budget and need cash, you can rely on payday cash advances to provide the extra cash you need to get by until payday.

ADDITIONAL READING

3 Sneaky Things that Blow Your Budget Every Time

Need some inspiration for saving money? Here are some quotes for frugal living.

“By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.”  - Agesilaus

“Frugality is founded on the principle that all riches have limits” — Edmund Burke

“Finding creative ways to giftwrap inexpensively can be done, with a little thought and imagination. There are many materials in your own home right in front of your nose.”  - Abigail Beal, from How To Gift Wrap Beautifully For Children While Being Frugal

” He who will not economize will have to agonize” — Confucius

“Never let the defeat of the past rob you of the success of your future.” - Ray Comfort

“My problem lies with reconciling my gross habits with my net income.” — Errol Flynn

“Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality, nothing will do, and with them everything.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Rather to go to bed supperless than rise in debt”- Benjamin Franklin

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship”- Benjamin Franklin

“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket.” — Kin Hubbard

“Never spend your money before you have it.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor.” — Samuel Johnson

“How simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. . . . All that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart.”  - Nikos Kazantzakis

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot establish security on borrowed money. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Less is more.”  - Mies van der Rohe

“Being frugal does not mean being cheap! It means being economical and avoiding waste.” - Catherine Pulsifer

“With greater emphasis on working to live, not living to work, we are creating awareness for simpler solutions, a more creative existence with healthier, happier longevity, for those brave enough to accept the challenge.” - Tracey Smith

“Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

“A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.” — Jonathan Swift

“Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality” — John Tyler 10th US President

These quotes about frugal living are brought to you by MyLoansUSA.com - providing payday cash advances to bridge the gap until your next paycheck.

RELATED READING:
Frugal Living Helps you Stretch your Paycheck and Survive till Payday

MyLoansUSA, a leading provider of payday loans and payday cash advances, has just launched a new blog at www.MyLoansUSA.com/blog/.

The personal finance blog will feature daily postings on payday loans, payday cash advances,, frugal living, and money saving ideas. Readers of the blog are invited to give feedback and share comments on their favorite topics. Additionally, readers are welcome to bookmark posts on their favorite social media sites including Delicious, Digg, Furl, Google, Newsvine, Reddit, Squidoo, Technorati, Yahoo.

MyLoansUSA made their mark on the payday loan scene in June of 2006 when they opened their instant payday loans store. Founded in 1991 under their parent company Mountain Partners LLC, their service helps consumer to bridge the gap between paydays by providing short term loans to provide for unexpected bills, family emergencies, and to avoid overdraft fees. Please be sure to visit the website for payday loans and cash advances.

If you’d like more information about the MyLoansUSA blog, their payday cash advanceservices please visit the MyLoansUSA Web site at www.MyLoansUSA.com.

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Contact Information
MyLoansUSA.com
Phone: 877-444-0555
http://www.myloansusa.com

Looking for a no fax payday loan? MyLoansUSA provides instant no fax payday loans that you can apply for online! So if you are buried in bills, no problem. We provide, fast, easy access to the payday loans you need for emergencies like unexpected bills. We offer personal loans of up to $1500!

Our no fax payday loans take the hassle out of getting the cash you need to tide you over until your next payday check.

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All you need is a steady job, an income of $1000 per month, and to be a U.S. Citizen at least 18 years of age.

4 Simple Steps to Apply for a No Fax Payday Loan

Step 1: Fill out a payday loan application online

Step 2: Receive confirmation from one of our payday loan representatives

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With the price of gas, many American’s today are hard pressed for cash. Paychecks don’t seem to stretch as far as they used to and people are turning to payday cash advances for emergency cash.

What is a payday cash advance? According to Wikipedia, “A payday loan (also called a paycheck advance or payday advance) is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower’s expenses until his or her next payday.”

A typical payday cash advance amount is between $100 - $1500 with payment due at the borrower’s next paycheck, usually at 2 week term.

So if you are unable to borrow from relative, don’t want to pawn your valued possessions, and don’t want to borrow against the title of your car or your home equity, payday cash advances provide the cash you need to get by until your next payday.

Here’s how a payday cash advance works. You can apply online. Your application is submitted for approval. You’ll need to provide proof that you have a steady job, an adequate income, and are a US citizen. Then within a few minutes, your cash advance is approved. The payday loan lenders wire money into your bank account and the next day you get access to your funds.

There are a lot of benefits to be gained by using a payday loan cash advance service. Paying bills on time helps you keep a good credit score. Additionally, having the funds you need in your bank account to cover checks helps you avoid late fees and bank overdraft charges. Over time, maintaining a good credit score helps you save money when you are financing the purchase of a home, car or other major item.

Find out more about the benefits of how payday cash advances help you.