Calderdale Credit Union Ltd.
Regulated by the FSA

Sometimes money does not seem to go very far. Work out where you spend your money and how your Credit Union can help you change your habits. How do you spend your money? When working out a budget, the first thing to do is work out where you spend your money. Use the table provided to fill in everything you spend. Work out how much small daily expenses add up to over 1 year or how much one-off annual expenses cost per week.

How it all adds up:

A 50p can of pop each day	=	365 x 50p per can	=	£182.50 a year
Annual Council Tax bill of £600	=	£600 ÷ by 52 weeks	=	£11.54 a week
Annual gas bill of £180	=	£180 ÷ by 4 quarters	=	£45 a quarter
Quarterly gas bill of £45	=	£45 ÷ by 3 months	=	£15 a month

Changing habits – with the help of your Credit Union

If you need to spend less, work out which areas you can cut back.

Think also of where you would like to spend extra money – a holiday perhaps or a new car.

Its no good just making a budget to cut back on expenses – it is important to put some money aside to have fun (otherwise you will never stick to any spending plans).

It is no good saying “I will save whatever I have left at the end of the month” because it is more than likely that there will be nothing left!

Budget to save a little in your Credit Union account each month – and set goals for the year and in the long term.

Even if you are paying back a Credit Union loan, you can still put a little aside into your Credit Union account every week or month.

Why not try our Budget Calculator

Note: You will need Microsoft Excel or
OpenOffice to use the Budget Calculator.
OppenOffice can be downloaded for Free Here