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TIMELY
Tips and Helpful Suggestions for YOU and YOUR
FAMILY
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Budget Your Money
In a detailed study of family finances, it was found that
less than one half of the nation's families had $500 or more
squirreled away in sorne kind of savings. Approximately 40%
had none at all.
Why are so few people able to save money? In rnany
cases, families are not sure
HOW MUCH
they are spending or
the amount they owe. They have no spending guide - no
budget.
One survey revealed that only one in fourteen people
used a budget. Sorne people even thought they didn't need
one. But the fact is, everyone needs sorne kind of budget.
How cornplex it is, its overall structure, its details wíll vary
according to the family.
A budget is a cash forecast - a list of upcorning
monthly and yearly expenditures. lt won't, of course, solve all
financia! problems. Sorne families compile a budget but still
come up with a poor financia! record at the year's end. A
budget merely charts your course. You must discipline your–
self to follow it.
In general, a budget is very simple. All you need to
know is your income and your outgo. The hardest part will
be estimating your outgo. Sorne expenses are obvious, such as
rent, house payments or cae payrnent. Other expenses - tele–
phone, utilities, clothing, recreation, education - may take
sorne figuring to come up with a correct monthly figure. Food
can be a weekly budget consideration. Other expenses are
yeady.
Determine how much you spent last year in each cate–
gory, and this will give you an idea of what kind of expenses
to budget for the coming year. Difficulty recalling where last
year's money went may be the very reason for financial
trouble now and proof why you need a budget.
An
expense which usually overtakes the family without a
budget may appear to be an "emergency" without really being
a bona fide emergency at all.
For example, automobile insurance hits a family, say
in
January. Suddenly there is perhaps a $168 insurance bill -
and no money. One simple solution is to budget $14 per
month. Or set up a fund of $3.25 per week. A budget fore·
casts your yearly expenditures
ahead of time.
You can then
plan
your payments and have the money saved in advance.
Every family has its unique situations and obligations.
That's why setting up one "model budget'' for everyone can
be dangerous. There is no "average" family situation. General
overaU principies apply
in
each case, but the details of a
budget should
be
worked out by each family for itself.
If
you would like more information on budgeting and
rnanaging your personal .finances in general, then be sure to
write for our free booklet,
Managing Your Personal Finances.
•
lf a Tornado Strikes
...
The powerful winds of a tornado have enough force
to
destroy and rip apart buildings and objects in their path, and
even drive straws into trees. Inside the tornado, air pressure
drops so low that houses and baros caught in their path liter–
ally explode.
These destructive forces, sometimes called cyclones
oc
twisters, are commonly found in the United States along the
eastern edge of the Great Plains and extending from Iowa to
Northeastecn Texas.
What should you do if you are in the path of an ap–
proaching tornado?
The safest refuge is an underground cellar or basement,
preferably equipped with a pick and shovel. And in general,
T-ko Newspoper Pltolo
the cornee closest to the oncoming tornado offers tl1e best
protection.
If
you are in a city or town, seek refuge in the closest
strongly built building. Stay away from windows and outside
doors. Avoid auditoriums and gymnasiums with large poorly
supported roofs.
If
at home and your house doesn't have a basement or
cellar, your best protection will be to get under a heavy piece
of furniture preferably against the wall.
If
you are caught in a car, it's possible to outrun a tor–
nado if you are able to drive at right angles to its path or
ahead of it íf the road ahead is clear. Otherwise, if you can't
find appropríate shelter, get out of your car and lie down
Rat in the nearest depression or ditch.
•
lnexpensive Family Entertainment
Most people think of entertainment in terms of spend–
ing money on sporting events, dinners out, movies, or for a