The end of summer is in sight and for the younger members of the population, that means coming to grip with the end of worry free summer days. As the school buses take to the streets, the back to school sales heat up and the weather begins to cool down, you might want to take this opportunity to evaluate where your finances stand.
The end of summer doesn’t just mean it’s time to start packing lunches - it’s a good time to re-evaluate your finances and prepare for the new season, and maybe even get a head start on the new year.
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Adjust. The end of summer means different things to different budgets, maybe you are going to be driving less, maybe more. Regardless, this means adjusting your budget to ensure that you are prepared and have your money in the right place..
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Be prepared. Labor day is nearly here, Halloween decorations are coming to the stores, then Thanksgiving and on it goes… Get your budget ready for the costs associated with the holiday season - like gifts and travel. You don’t want November and December to come around and realize you don’t have the money set aside for these expenses.
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Review. Summer can be an expensive season with vacations, events, road trips, backyard BBQs, etc. Maybe you spent more than you had planned, so it's a good time to replenish those emergency funds that you should have set aside for unexpected costs such as winter car repairs, flu season, or any other emergency.
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Plan ahead. It’s about time you started thinking about 2016. Before you can tackle a new year you should take a little time to make sure you have everything from 2015 in order.