It's hard to believe we are already well into the first half of the year. If one of your goals is to manage your finances, we have four easy tips to get you started. These tips are a great starting point, and we will go into more depth on each in future blogs. 

Tips to help you get back on track.

1. Take stock - Review your current financial situation, including:

• What money do you have readily available?
• The amount of each new debt, such as credit card balances and loans. 

 A general budgeting form would assist you in tracking all the necessary information and is something you can easily find on Google. Once you have everything in writing, you can develop a plan of attack.

2.  Create a debt strategy - Whether you have a small or large amount of debt, it is important to develop a payment strategy. Create a plan to pay off your debt and how that will look over the next year. Your plan should start with emergency fund savings. If you need help building an emergency fund, this article  can get you started. 

3. Create new financial goals - If you are not where you want to be, it's essential to create financial goals so you know what you are working towards. Then, define steps to reach those goals. If you are a woman in the Kansas City area working toward financial success, contact WEN's Financial Coach to schedule a meeting and review your current situation. 

4. Prepare for your 2024 holiday budget NOW!  Determine your holiday budget (start with what you spent last year) and divide that by the number of paychecks you'll receive now until the end of the holiday season. This amount will be what you will have to set aside from each paycheck to fully fund your budget. Deposit that amount into a High-Yield Savings account throughout the year. Knowing the money will be available will help relieve stress and prevent the urge to depend on credit.

These tips are just a few ways to help reduce financial stress and help you reach your financial goals. Come back in May for more budgeting tips.