Contributed Posts – Page 102 – The Big Words Blog Site

4 Ideas To Improve Waste Management For Your Company

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When running a company or a business, one of your critical jobs in addition to selling your product or service is managing waste. In doing so you’re managing costs, which ultimately impact your profits and revenues. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Ideas To Improve Waste Management For Your Company.

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Waste management is important for businesses for many reasons; firstly, waste equals loss of revenue, and secondly, waste compromises sustainability goals. Besides this, wasted time means loss of productivity and workplace morale. To improve waste management within your organization, these four ideas will support your progress.

1. Adopt Lean Principles

To produce less waste, companies need to adopt a strategic approach based around lean principles. Lean principles have the end goal of reducing waste by improving production processes. Lean focuses on reducing waste in seven different areas, including motion, inventory, defects, overproduction, transportation, and overprocessing.

Several different lean software packages can help businesses to reduce waste; one of the leading platforms is Pipefly. With this lean management platform, you’ll support your company to reduce errors, decrease lead time, and improve efficiency. Pipefly can support users to adhere to lean principles, beginning with ‘identifying value.’

Lean philosophy is all about using less resources while offering more value. Using Pipe Fly, you can map your value stream, create flow, establish pull, and work on continuous improvement. With all these important areas covered, you’ll greatly improve your waste management!

2. Improved Recycling Practices

To improve your waste management, it’s crucial to put highly effective recycling practices in place. When you are choosing supplies and resources, choose those that are easily recyclable and biodegradable. Materials such as plastics and cardboard are fairly simple to recycle. For materials such as e-waste or metals, you’ll need to hire specific companies and ensure that you adhere to the correct waste disposal regulations. Norstar is a great company for all your metal recycling needs; the service includes free pick up and focuses on sustainability initiatives.

3. Motivate Your Staff

Simple but true, to improve your waste management, you’ve got to motivate your staff. Create a waste reduction plan, write up new recycling policies, and train your team. It can be helpful to set goals together; having something to aim for will serve to motivate you. What’s more, creating goals as a team can improve employee satisfaction and create a stronger company culture. Once you reach your goals, it’s time to set new ones, keep going until you’ve eliminated waste from all areas of your business! To help you set goals for your business, try using apps such as ‘Goals On Track’ or ‘Habit Tracker’.

4. Vet Your Suppliers

When you’re looking to reduce waste, it’s good to vet your suppliers and see if improvements can be made. Waste includes wasted money and time as well as resources. Due to this, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting top quality items at a great price. To find the right suppliers, it can be useful to use a supplier information management database. A SIM database allows you to search for suppliers based on specific credentials, (including sustainability initiatives). Now more than ever, companies must prioritize sustainability across all areas of their business operations. With less waste, you’ll boost your profits and provide more value to your customers.

Taking Care of Yourself Under Stress

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“Stress can make it hard to focus and take our enjoyment out of life. It can make it hard to work. It can affect your relationships and even your health.”

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A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Anyone who has battled stress knows that it’s a killer in terms of your personal health. There can be a number of potential negative outcomes when it comes to stress and thus it’s important to know how to manage it. The following contributed post is entitled, Taking Care of Yourself Under Stress.

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We all struggle with stress at one time or another. It can range from mild worry to stress that takes over our every waking thought and exhibits physical symptoms. Stress can make it hard to focus and take our enjoyment out of life. It can make it hard to work. It can affect your relationships and even your health.

Stress often comes and goes. When we’ve got a lot on at work, are busy in our personal lives or trying to cope with a global pandemic, we feel stressed out, but it doesn’t always last. As soon as things calm down, and we feel more in control, our stress levels start to relax. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, we’re dealing with a situation that drags on and on or seems to take over our lives completely. Perhaps living through illness or facing a case that means you need help from an Immigration Law Firm, or, a combination of things piling up, causing you to feel suffocated by your stress.

When you’re stressed out, it becomes hard to look after yourself. You might feel as though you don’t have the energy, or the interest, to practice self-care or even the most basic of personal care. But it’s important that you do. Fail to take care of yourself, and things will only get worse. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do to make self-care easier when you are dealing with immense stress.

Write Some Lists

Stress often makes it hard to organize your thoughts. You might be stressed out because you’ve got so much to do but feel as though you just don’t know what to do first, and the idea of adding something as small as exercising, or food shopping to your mounting to-do list can be unbearable.

Lists can help. Lists make it easier to prioritize and to manage your time. They also help things look smaller. When your tasks are written out, and you can cross things off, they might not seem so insurmountable.

If they do, write smaller lists. Focus on the things that you need to do today, writing short, easy to action lists, and worry about the rest later on.

Get Help

There’s typically more help available than you think, it’s just hard to see it when you are stressed out and tired. Ask for help from your family, friends and employer, and search online for any specific help or advice that you may need. It could be that speaking to a therapist and doing talking therapy can really help you, or maybe you need something more specific, such as a criminal defense expert, to help you out of the stressful situation you’re in. Ultimately, asking for help and seeking assistance could be exactly what you need to turn things around.

Focus on One Thing at a Time

If you are stressed out because you have so much to do, stop and take a step back. Focus on one task at a time, and don’t let yourself think about anything else until you are done.

Accept Feelings as they Come

Stress can cause feelings of anxiety, worry, sadness and anger. And there’s very little that you can do about it. Accept these emotions as they come, instead of trying to ignore them.

Let Yourself Laugh

Laughter is a powerful medicine and will often reduce stress and ease worry. Spend time doing things that you enjoy, with people that make you smile, and you may soon start to feel more at peace.

The Unusual (But Healthy) Relationship Between Combat Sports and Office Work

Three focuses of my blog are Athletics/Sports, Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. There are a number of health drawbacks to office work where you’re sitting most of the day, staring a computer screens and enduring the potential stress from working with other people. A potential way to balance this out is combat sports. The following contributed post is entitled, The Unusual (But Healthy) Relationship Between Combat Sports and Office Work.

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Office workers tend to have a very mundane weekday. They get into the office, sit down for most of the day and work on stressful things from start to finish. While many people have gotten used to this kind of lifestyle, others are still struggling to cope with the boring schedule and tiring work. As such, it’s a good idea to have a hobby that you can look forward to when you get home.

Ideally, it should be able to relieve stress, help you stay active and also train you in other skills. Some people like to play video games, others like to go for a jog and some enjoy cooking. However, of all the hobbies that you could pick up, combat sports are an unusual but surprisingly good pairing for your average office worker.

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Combat sports come with health benefits to counteract office work

While most sports can help you counter the effects of sitting down all day, combat sports can go a step further and actually train you to become more flexible, to lose weight and also improve your muscles. In addition, learning a combat sport can teach you about self-discipline and controlling your emotions, and the techniques you learn can be used to defend yourself. While you should never learn a combat sport for the sake of hurting someone else, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the knowledge to defend you and your loved ones.

It’s also convenient to purchase training equipment. With websites like The Fight Factory, you can easily get your hands on training gear, apparel and even punching bags to keep at home. These at-home workouts are a great way to release some stress and train your body at home without needing to sign up for a gym membership. This means you can get into combat sports and reap the health benefits even if you work at home.

Combat sports can help with mental health concerns

Office environments can quickly wear down your mental health. Even thinking about being stuck in a small cubicle every day can make some people shiver in fear. On top of that, you also have to deal with snide co-workers and a pushy manager. It’s definitely not the kind of environment you want to be in for 7 hours a day. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have a choice and we force ourselves to stay with the job.

As a result of this, our mental health can quickly decline if we don’t find a hobby to anchor ourselves. This is where something like combat sports can actually help out. There’s a strong link between good mental health and combat sports. This is caused by several different factors, such as the feel-good hormone (endorphins) that you release when exercising. This isn’t a short-term impact either, but something that helps lower depression and anxiety over a long period of time. There’s also immediate stress that you can release with explosive physical activity, such as punching a training bag or lifting weights.

Lockdown May Be Over, But Your Business Is Still Vulnerable

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. We’re still in the Coronavirus/Covid-19 storm with no end in sight. Furthermore, the effects will be felt long after the storm has passed. Even in the aftermath, businesses will have to figure how to move forward. The following contributed post is entitled, Lockdown May Be Over, But Your Business Is Still Vulnerable.

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The fear and uncertainty of spring are now a distant memory. Businesses of all shapes and sizes all over the country are dusting themselves down and trying to resume a semblance of “Business As Usual”. Yet, while the lockdown may be over (for the time being at least), things are still far from back to their normal speed. You will likely be making fewer sales (unless your business name rhymes with Glamazon). You may have had to lose members of staff or radically change your operations to enable your team to work from home. You may have had to invest heavily on a physical and digital infrastructure that allows you to operate safely.

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While it’s nothing you can’t navigate, you know better than to kid yourself. The next year and change could make or break your business. And while you should absolutely retain your sense of optimism, you also need to be aware of the very specific vulnerabilities your business faces in this challenging time…

Customers are scared to come back

While your business may be ready to receive customers now, not all customers are ready to do business. Many of your customers will have lost their jobs or at least lost a portion of their income. As such, consumer confidence is still at its lowest in years throughout much of the world. As such, you need to devote your marketing efforts to making customers know that they can return to your business without endangering their safety or their financial security.

Entice them in with promotions and targeted offers. Let them see what measures you’ve taken to keep them safe on and off-site. Establish yourself as someone they can rely on in this time of crisis.

Remote employees mean cyber security vulnerabilities

Unfortunately, times of crisis tend to mean open season for cyber criminals. And in the wake of the pandemic, they’ve been hard at work coming up with all kinds of phishing hoaxes, ransomware attacks, DDoS attacks and all manner of other nasty schemes designed to exploit vulnerable businesses. And although you may be able to protect yourself on-site, when employees are working remotely, this can create extra vulnerabilities. Work with an outsourced IT company like Levit8 IT Solutions to ensure that you’re covered on and off-site.

Cash flow is more important than ever

You’re more than likely facing a future of increased expenses and reduced sales. Which means that cash flow is more important than ever. Take your eye off the ball and you may find that you lose control of your finances resulting in unpaid vendors, late fees, charges from your bank and all manner of other avoidable costs that can further restrict your cash flow.

You need to focus on more than just staying afloat

Finally, if you’re to thrive in these punishing times, you need to focus on more than just staying alive. You need to focus on how each department’s performance metrics tie in with your broader business KPIs and goals. You need to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to maintain your profit margins and invest in Business Intelligence solutions to mine actionable insights from your data. Strategy is more important than ever. Don’t just react!

3 Ways To Avoid Bankruptcy When Starting A Small Business

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. As a new business owner, you always have to watch your costs and carefully manage debt if you’re going to use it. In general, you have to keep your operations financially healthy for as long as you can. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Ways To Avoid Bankruptcy When Starting A Small Business.

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Staring a small business can be fulfilling, exhilarating and downright stressful at times. There are a lot of things that are involved when it comes to creating something from the ground up. One of the biggest hurdles most business owners face as they are starting up is the finances. The common known phrase it takes money to make money rings true. If you are a small business owner, you may be wondering how can you avoid small business bankruptcy when the money is tight. Well, here are some useful tips to keep in mind when it comes to capital and your small business.

Have A Plan

Planning is the ticket to a stress-free life in your journey as a small business owner. Creating a business plan with clear goals, detailed steps of execution, in-depth regulations and governing of the workflow is imperative to your company’s success. Your plan will give you the blueprint for making educated decisions about where you want your business to be located, the pricing of your product or service as well as how much it costs to run your business, and what to invest in. You also want to keep in mind that when you are asking for funding, investors are going to ask for a business plan, so it is better to have one than not.

Make Sure Your Product Or Services Are Quality

There is nothing that will bankrupt your small business faster than not providing quality products or services. You want to be sure that when you launch you are providing customers with the very best your business has to offer. Cultivate a strong and authentic brand for your product or service. If you already have existing customers, maintain great relationships with them. Put your focus on reaching your target market.

It Is Ok To Borrow But Do Not Borrow Too Much

This can be tricky. There is nothing wrong with borrowing money to get your business off the ground. The issue comes when you have found yourself borrowing too much money. Then you have found yourself in a tough situation that could lead to bankruptcy. That is why being mindful of how much you need to borrow is important. In a perfect world you may have saved up a nice chunk of money that you can invest in your business, but more than likely you will have to borrow some money.

No matter what, you want to be sure that you will get a return on your investment. Keep track of the monthly interest, how many installments you will pay and for how much and the term of your loan before you decide to sign. When going over your business finances, be sure to deduct loan payments from your profits that way you can fully understand how much the loan will cost you. Once you know how much the loan will cost you, down to the penny, you will have a better handle on paying the money back.

3 Health Benefits of Ditching Technology (For a Little While)

Two of the focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness and Technology. While technology has tremendously improved our lives, it does have some potential adverse impacts on our qualities of life. In some instances, it may be advantageous to disconnect from your technology, albeit temporarily. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Health Benefits of Ditching Technology (For a Little While).

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Our lives are regularly dictated by technology. We want to catch our favorite shows as soon as they are released. We need to find out what is happening every minute of the day. Indeed, any time spent away from technology now feels unusual. But as much as tech can help us stay connected with friends and learn all about the world around us, it can also be detrimental to our health. Sometimes, you need to take a step back, so here are four health benefits of ditching technology, at least for a little while.

You Can Focus Better

If you choose to sell your iPhone 11 Pro Max, your Xbox or cancel your Netflix subscription, you will find your focus will improve. It won’t happen overnight, but rather than use tech as a crutch for background noise or scroll through when in an awkward situation, you will find you’re not continually feeling around to check worldly updates, even though you only checked a few minutes before.

This will significantly benefit your work and productivity as you won’t have that itchy finger reaching for your phone. You can still have a phone, you might need it, but a model without wifi or app capabilities might be better if you want to maintain a sharp focus. You won’t feel the need to check WhatsApp every 10 minutes, and you will also find that you will concentrate when watching movies, rather than staring at your phone for the entire two hours.

It Will Help You Unwind

Many people dread getting home from work only to see their boss has asked them to make a few small changes to a contract or project. Technology has made it so that we are always on the clock, which can increase stress levels and prevent us from unwinding.

If you make it a rule to switch your work phone off at the end of the workday, you will find you can relax after a long day and spend quality time with your family. Your job is just a job, and while it will help pay the bills, it shouldn’t come before your partner or your kids.

You Will Enjoy a More Restful Sleep

Studies show that 44% of people will sleep with their phones next to them or under their pillow. This is because they will scroll through before going to sleep or use it as an alarm to wake up.

However, while these are established aspects of your bedtime and waking up routine, they can affect your sleep quality. Playing on your phone before bed will affect your sleep patterns, as will the blue light that can impact a good night’s sleep. Try to leave your phone upstairs at night and invest in a proper alarm clock to wake you up in the morning.

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It can be scary to decide to abandon technology, even if it’s just one or two items. However, the health benefits that come with ditching technology can help transform your life for the better. You’ll have more focus, energy, and you might even be happier.

Top Tips For Cutting Costs In Your Medical Practice

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A medical practice can be lucrative, but you have to know how manage costs. Managing you costs will assure that your practice stays open for years to come. The following contributed post is entitled, Top Tips For Cutting Costs In Your Medical Practice.

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2020 so far has been a tough one for the medical industry. In fact, it is fair to say it has been one of the hardest-hit industries, with staff working flat out to deal with the pandemic, but also facing an uphill struggle trying to keep themselves safe and securing appropriate PPE. Whether privately owned or state-owned, the medical industry is going to have to do all it can to claw back some much-needed cash over the next few years.

While there are obvious things you can’t cut in order to provide the very best care to your patients, there are some things you can do to cut costs and make some savings to help your medical practice get through the next few months and years.

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Think about outsourcing

More and more businesses are turning to outsourcing and that is because it is an effective and efficient business practise. Yes, it costs you money, but in the long-term, the savings it can create can be invaluable. It gives you time back to work on growing your medical practice and providing the best care to your patients and allows specialists to do the jobs to the best of their ability.

It can be difficult to know what to outsource – certain tasks are better than others. If you have a website, you might want to pass the management of it over to a web specialist who knows their stuff. Other options include your billing telehealth services, human resources and payroll.

Encourage remote working where possible

More and more medical practices have implemented remote working during the pandemic, taking video calls with patients rather than face to face interactions. It is a way of working that no one would have thought possible a few months ago in the medical industry, but many practices have found that not only is a great way of keeping staff and patients safe but is actually a really cost and time effective way of seeing patients.

Of course, not every single appointment can be done this way – there are still some people that will need to be seen, but think about whether remote working can be done as far as possible for as long as possible in your practice.

Reduce the necessities

The one thing the pandemic has done for us is to show us what is important and what isn’t. Take a look around you and think about what has remained unused or unneeded during the past few months. For example, if you have a fleet of company cars that have stayed in driveways or out in the parking lot, look at getting rid of them, or at least reducing the number of them. If those overseas business trips haven’t been missed, consider getting rid of them altogether, or streamlining the most essential ones.

The medical industry – and indeed, many other industries – are going to have a tough few years ahead of them, dealing with the economic and health fallout of the pandemic. By following these tips, you can make savings and get through it without too many problems.

5 Ways Technology Has Transformed the Private Sector

Three key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Technology has created changes in all aspects of world including business. It has transformed the private sectors in several key ways. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Ways Technology Has Transformed the Private Sector.

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Technology has dramatically affected our daily lives from portable telephones to self-driving cars and even cashless systems. The relationship between technology and business is an ever changing phenomenon that is both interesting and intriguing. Through this relationship, companies have found new and improved ways of carrying out their activities. This article takes a look at five ways technology has transformed businesses in the private sector.

1. Reduction in costs

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Technology is an excellent investment for businesses, and these investments have created a phenomenon in companies known as business process automation. What this means is that human interference is not necessary for the processes and operations of the business. There are many software programs, machinery, and other tech solutions that help companies complete their tasks. These solutions are faster than humans and do not require much financial support- like wages (or an increase) and other forms of financial aid.

2. Improvement of communication

There are so many ways in which businesses can reach out to their current and potential customers. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have all created features which can be favorable for companies, helping them improve their customer care service. There are also some tech solutions, like live chatbots on company websites, which allow many companies to be more responsive. For example, if you should have a flood disaster in your area, it may take a while for an ambulance to get to you. But, a commercial water damage company might be able to give quick response time due to their advanced communication technology.

3. Increase in efficiency and quality

Unlike human beings, technology allows for faster processing of data and easy retrieval of information. Humans make mistakes, even when performing repetitive tasks, and also tend to consume time. But these issues are removed when technology takes their place. Such a thing usually happens in the manufacturing business, and many factory hands are replaced by machines to improve the efficiency and the quality of the products made.

4. Improvement in security

Security is a vital component in the operations of businesses, and technology has played a crucial role in its improvement. Facial recognition systems, fingerprint scanners, retina scanners, and secure software algorithms are some of the developments technology has made in security for safety at the workplace. With these improved security systems, the business can run safely with little fear of experiencing a breach in security such as theft or a leak in sensitive information.

5. Increase in productivity

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Machinery does not necessarily have to replace humans for the business to be productive, but technology can help employees to be more productive. One of the significant elements of productivity is time management. With computers, data can be retrieved and processed faster, giving employees the time to work on other things- meaning that more tasks are done in a day. Alongside this, though, the right machines can also have a dramatic impact on productivity, with options like stainless steel fabricators making it much easier to work with challenging materials.

With technology, the private sector is experiencing a great advantage, and the improvements in the various components of business make technology a worthy investment to make.

How to Increase Employee Satisfaction

A key focus of my blog is Organizational and Management Discussions. In any organization, if you’re a part of management, you have to consider your employees’ satisfaction in you want your organization to continue operating at peak efficiency. Happy employees will do that for you. The following contributed post is entitled, How to Increase Employee Satisfaction.

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No matter the size of your business, a collaborative team of satisfied employees is without a doubt a worthwhile goal. By increasing your employee satisfaction, you’ll be able to create a workforce that is motivated, productive and loyal, all of which are essential to your success. When raises and bonuses aren’t in your business’ immediate budget, there are many effective alternative paths to choose when building employee satisfaction and creating a happier workplace.

Keep the Work Environment In Check
Technical issues such as slow servers and physical issues like broken equipment can inevitably occur in the workplace. However, when they happen frequently enough, employees can become frustrated and increasingly demotivated with the quality of their work output. To avoid dissatisfaction, identify issues and deal with any staff complaints as quickly as possible. This will demonstrate your commitment as an employer in providing an enjoyable work environment.

Offer Flexibility
Any business that gives their employees the opportunity to have greater autonomy and responsibility for their own time at work is vital to increasing satisfaction levels. This is because offering control allows employees to achieve a suitable work-life balance. Try offering flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, flex time, or even seasonal flexibility such as “summer” hours.

Recognise Achievements
Acknowledge your employee’s achievements and reward them in innovative ways alongside any financial bonuses. This could include their name in an internal newsletter, applauding them in a staff meeting, or even offering the best parking slot for a month. These small acts of recognition can be powerful incentives that propel other employees into following the acknowledged employee’s example and increase overall workforce productivity.

Training
No employee wants to stay stagnant in the same place – help drive your employee’s career development by offering professional development opportunities, such as valuable online courses, mentoring, coaching, lectures, or knowledge transfer plans such as with https://stevetrautman.com/learn/knowledge-transfer-plan/. All of these ideas can help your employees progress in their role as well as engage with your business.

Wellness Benefits
A company that is invested in its employees’ health is made instantly more desirable to employees as a long-term job. Promote and drive good health with the likes of nutritious food options in the cafeteria or break room, educate employees with wellness seminars, and offer discounted gym memberships. To combat work related stress, ensure that your employees are taking regular breaks as well as their annual leave, and encourage them to be open about their work worries with you. To get your team together, why not try organising a spa day or a rewarding charity run on the weekend?

Encourage A Sociable Workplace Culture
A team that attends regular social activities outside of office hours such as work lunches, celebrations, and fun events is a strong team. Fostering a sociable workplace culture through encouraging teamwork, socialisation, and communication will result in greater contentment in the workplace and can give employees a sense of belonging. Where applicable, employees should be given the opportunities to voice ideas, collaborate together, and create strong bonds with one another.

Take Control of Your Finances When You’re Struggling

A key focus of my blog in Financial Literacy/Money. A significant part of your personal success and quality of life is your personal financial health. Taking control of your finances is particularly important when you’re struggling. The following contributed post is entitled, Take Control of Your Finances When You’re Struggling.

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Everyone experiences money troubles of different kinds. Even when you’re financially comfortable, you can have times when you’re trying to work out how to stretch your money further. There are also times when you can feel like you’re really struggling and you don’t know how to get back on track. Your money problems are ruling your life, but you don’t know how to make them go away. You could be in a lot of debt or struggling to pay the bills, and you feel like you have no control. If you want to start getting control of your finances, have a look at these steps.

Make a Plan for Your Debts

Most people have some kind of debt, whether they’re paying off a phone, have a credit card or have a mortgage. Some debt is good debt, but there’s also plenty of bad debt, and it can weigh on you heavily. Making a plan to pay off your debts should be a priority if you’re having financial problems. You might need to look into tax relief options if you’re struggling to pay off a tax bill or consider debt consolidation if you have a number of debts. Look at different strategies for paying off debts too. You might pay off the cheapest or the most expensive first.

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Create a Budget

Everyone who wants to get their money under control needs to start budgeting. When you set a budget to stick to, it helps you to control your spending. The first thing that you need to do is take a look at what you’re currently spending. Work out how much your fixed expenses are, then come up with a reasonable budget for more variable expenses, such as groceries and clothes. Once you have a budget, you can track your spending, and you’ll be more conscious of whether you’re sticking to your budget.

Review Your Spending

After creating a budget, you might be able to start saving some money by lowering both your fixed and variable expenses. For example, review your bills to discover whether you could save any money. Find any subscriptions or services that you no longer need or that are wasting your money. Do you really need cable TV? Do you use that Netflix subscription? Getting rid of unnecessary spending can help you pay off debts faster, save more or have more money to spend on things that you want or need.

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Go Cash Only

If you feel like you need to reconnect with your money, consider using cash only to pay for things. You can set up automatic payments for bills, but when you do things like go grocery shopping, withdraw a set amount of money for the month so that you know exactly how much you have left. Stop using your credit card and even debit card for a while, and slowly start to use them again if you feel comfortable.

You can take back control of your finances. Start taking a close look at any debts, your spending and how you could save money.