I'm almost ashamed to admit it but I'm a cpa and I can't seem to make my budget work. I work with numbers all day long and handle clients financial affairs just fine. Why is it so hard for me to balance my own budget? I record and track my spending but it gets depressing, every month it seems like something keeps me over budget. I know I need to budget and even stress the importance of budgeting with my clients, but even though I know I need to do it, I can't seem to make it work. Any suggestions?
First of all you should never feel ashamed to admit you are struggling. Pride can be very destructive and keep you from getting help when you need it. Everyone has money problems at some time and the purpose of this forum is to help us all learn and grow. As far as you being good at managing other people's money and struggling with your own finances, trust me when I say you are not alone. There are many excellent money managers who struggle with their own finances, I used to be one of them myself. Here is a quick tip I discovered that helped me:
Learn to change the way you think about your personal finances. If you are good at managing your clients money then become your own client. Think of yourself as LadyCpa Incorporated. You are not managing your own money but the financial affairs of your client. As the chief financial officer of LadyCpa Inc., you are responsible for making sure the company is profitable (has a surplus) at the end of each month. Every expense must be approved by you and if it doesn't meet the goals of the company it is denied. Then at the end of the month any savings is yours to keep.
Try it and let me know how it works for you, it certainly helped me.
