Things You Can Do To Improve Your Finances (instead of binge-watching)
1. update or start your “Where You Are” sheet
This is the sheet you want to review at least annually anyway (monthly or quarterly may be even better- especially as you implement your goals and changes).
Take a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the center vertically and a line across the center horizontally. You will have four quadrants.
In the upper left list your assets- anything you own.
In the bottom left list your liabilities- anything you owe.
In the upper right list your revenue sources and amounts.
In the bottom right list your expenses and amounts.
The left is your balance sheet.
The right is your income statement.
Now you can see at a glance how you are doing financially.
2. update or start your Budget (aka spending plan or income allocation)
Once you know your revenue and expenses you can break it down into a plan for how to pay everything. You can do this weekly, bi-weekly, or bi-monthly, depending on how often you are paid.
If you find you have more expenses than income, take a look to see which expenses you can cut out of your life, which leads us to…
3. Minimize, Reuse, Recycle
This is a great time to really evaluate the things you need versus the things you want. And, how they fit in your lifestyle.
Paper towel shortage? Use kitchen towels. Concerned about social distancing? Make your own coffee, meals, etc. No facial tissue? Use a handkerchief. You get the idea.
Now, this could definitely be adjusted if you do not have a washing machine in your house. In that case you may prefer disposable products to avoid going to the laundromat.
But, somehow our grandparents managed to survive without styrofoam, plastic bags, paper products, etc. I would like to think that we can, too.