Have you ever wondered if there’s a better way to budget your money? Unlike traditional budgeting methods for financial planning that you’ve used for years, which aren’t necessarily as effective as you think, zero based budgeting helps you achieve results quickly.
So what is zero based budgeting?
Introducing Zero Based Budgeting
Zero based budgeting is a type of budgeting process where you don’t rely on previous budgets (such as last year’s). Instead, you start from scratch and justify expenses for each new period. Then, re-evaluate if those expenses are still necessary.
The goal is to trim away unnecessary costs and reallocate your budget to high-value areas. With zero based budgeting, you have to justify all expenses – not just increases from the previous year. This helps determine what’s critical for your operations versus what’s no longer useful.
To implement zero based budgeting, check each expense line by line. Questions things such as:
- Do we really need this?
- How much are we spending?
- What value does this bring?
- Could we spend less on this?
If an expense isn’t essential or the cost seems too high for the value, think about finding an alternative. The funds can then be reallocated to other priorities.
Benefits of Zero Based Budgeting
So now you know zero based budgeting, but what’re the benefits? Zero based budgeting makes you question every dollar spent and develop an effective cost management strategy. Based on financial data, it encourages efficiency and reduces waste. Here’re some of the biggest benefits:
- Identifying unnecessary or low-priority expenses: Going line by line down your budget, you have to justify each cost and may find things to reduce.
- Improving resource allocation: You can shift funds from less important areas to high-priority needs. This helps ensure you’re putting your money where it matters most.
- Increasing transparency: The zero based budgeting process brings greater clarity to how money is being spent in an organization. This can improve financial discipline and accountability.
- Strategic thinking: Building a budget from the ground up forces managers and executives to think about priorities, business goals, and how funds should be directed to support essential initiatives.
- Improving control: With more scrutiny on expenses, zero budgeting helps avoid overspending and ensure costs stay within budget.
Other Effective Ways to Budget
Here’re some other effective ways to budget, besides zero-based budgeting:
The 50/30/20 Rule
This rule suggests dividing your total monthly income into multiple buckets:
- 50% for essentials like housing, food, and transportation.
- 30% for discretionary items like shopping, dining out, and hobbies.
- 20% for financial goals like saving for an emergency fund, vacations, down payments, and retirement.
Following this guideline helps ensure your basic needs are covered while still allowing room in your zero based budget for excitement and your future. It’s a simple but effective budgeting method.
Paying Cash
Using physical cash instead of credit or debit cards makes you more mindful of what you’re spending. When you have to hand over actual dollar bills, you may think twice about each purchase. Paying with cash is a straightforward budgeting approach that can help curb impulse buys and overspending.
Automating Payments
Activate automatic payments for fixed expenses like rent, utilities, insurance premiums, and loan payments. Automating these essential bills ensures they get paid on time each month and reduces the risk of late fees. It also makes budgeting easier because you know exactly how much will be deducted from your accounts each month. Then, You can budget the rest of your income (minus enough to cover non-recurring essentials) for yourself or your savings account.
Meal Planning
Lastly — planning your meals in advance and making a grocery list can help you save money and reduce food waste. You’ll only buy what you need for the recipes you want to make, avoiding impulse purchases at the store. Meal planning also saves time by eliminating the daily question of “what’s for dinner?”. When you have a plan in place, you’ll spend less time and money deciding on and preparing meals.
Using a combination of these and other budgeting methods that work for your needs and lifestyle can help keep your personal finance on track each month. The key is finding an approach you can stick with long-term. With some experimentation, you’ll discover what budgeting strategies are most effective and sustainable.
Budget The EASY Wireless Way: by Applying For a FREE Phone!
We hope that after reading this blog you understand zero based budgeting so you can start implementing it. But what if we told you that there were even simpler ways to save cash?
Like applying for EASY Wireless’ free phone plan! With help from government programs like Lifeline & ACP, we’re able to offer some incredible benefits. Here’s how to apply.
Lifeline & ACP Programs with EASY Wireless
Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are government programs designed to make phone and internet services more affordable for eligible low-income individuals and families.
Here at EASY Wireless, we understand the importance of affordable connectivity for everyone, and we want to help you access the benefits of these programs so you can always stay connected to your friends & family, even when on a budget. Here’s what you receive with us:
What Benefits do I Receive With EASY Wireless?
Upon qualifying for the programs above, here’re the connectivity benefits you receive:
EASY Wireless Unlimited Plan
- FREE Unlimited Data
- FREE Unlimited Talk
- FREE Unlimited Text
- FREE SIM Car Kit and Activation
- Choose to Keep Your Number or Get a New One
How do I Apply For my FREE PHONE With EASY Wireless?
To get started with EASY Wireless, apply online by clicking the below:
Start Saving Today!
Or you can come to one of the EASY Wireless’s retail stores, where our customer service agent will help you apply for the benefits.
Either way, the first step is to provide proof of identity with a government-issued ID. This is so you can confirm your participation in one of the qualifying programs or that you meet the income requirement.
We accept the following U.S. Government Issued ID:
- U.S. Driver License
- Certificate of U.S. Citizenship
- Certificate of Naturalization
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. Government, State or Tribal issued-ID
- U.S. Military ID cards
- Permanent Resident Cards
- Permanent Resident Alien Cards
You can show the following documents to prove that you are taking part in a government assistance program or use them as proof of active benefits:
- Statement of benefits from a food distribution program.
- Federal Public Housing Assistance Vouchers Documents
- Indian Affairs general assistance documents
- Notice letter of participation, such as an award letter
- Participation documents from a program, such as a screenshot from an online account.
- In order to show income, you can provide any of the following proofs:
- Unemployment Documentation
- Copy of your State or Federal income tax return.
- Three months’ worth of current pay stubs.
- Veterans Administration or Supplemental Security Income benefits letter.
- A divorce decree or child support document that states income.
- Retirement or pension statement.
Need Multiple Lines of Service or an Additional Phone?
EASY Wireless is a full-service cellular store that cares about all of your communication needs. We have everything from basic prepaid phone plans to unlimited mobile hotspot data plans for every budget and usage requirement. Also, we offer a selection of brand-name phones that combine quality, reliability, and the latest technology.
But that’s not all – we also provide an array of amazing accessories to enhance your mobile experience. Here at EASY Wireless, we’re dedicated to providing exceptional service and ensuring you find the perfect plan, compatible phone, and accessories to suit your lifestyle and preferences.
Visit us for all your cell phone and wireless service needs today!
