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    6 Financial Chores You Should Tackle Daily, Weekly and Monthly

    By Karen Doyle,

    2 days ago
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    It can be a rather difficult task to keep on on even regular daily chores such as cleaning your home. But with the right mix of planning and determination, you can find yourself in a groove in no time. The same could be said of financial maintenance .

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    Of course, everything about budgeting requires daily check-ins. Below, we’ll take a look at the tasks you should follow up on each day, each week and finally, at least monthly.

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    Every Day

    1. Review your expenditures.

    If you’re still trying to work out a budget for your life, categorize each thing you spend money on — both bills and purchases — every day. This will help you determine how much to budget in each category. It takes about six months of tracking each expenditure to get enough information to build an accurate budget .

    If you already have a budget that’s working well for you, it’s still a good idea to take a look at what you spend each day. Check your balance in your checking account to make sure there are no unfamiliar transactions, and glance at your credit card accounts too. You want to be sure that any charges you made are correct.

    Every Week

    2. Catch up.

    If you’ve been diligent about reviewing your transactions every day, you probably don’t need to do it at the end of the week. If you missed any days, however, it’s a good idea to look weekly. If you wait any longer than the end of the week, it’s likely you won’t remember what that $50 point-of-sale debit was for.

    3. Check in on your goals.

    It’s also a good idea to check in weekly to see where you are in relation to your goals. If you have a savings goal, take a look at that account at the end of each week. If you’ve automated your savings (and you have automated your savings, haven’t you?), there shouldn’t be any surprises, but you can give yourself a pat on the back for continuing to put money aside. You can also take satisfaction in seeing your savings grow every week.

    Every Month

    4. Compare your actual spending to your budget.

    There will always be small fluctuations from month to month but watch for any significant deviations. If you see something that looks way outside the norm, look a little closer. It’s possible that it’s an expense you pay only once a year, that you’ve budgeted for a monthly basis. If that’s the case, just note that that line item is now covered for the next 11 months.

    5. Take a look at your emergency fund.

    Does it include at least six months’ of expenses? If you’re still building it, make sure you’ve contributed something this month. If you’ve had it for a while, did you have to dip into it at any time in the last 30 days? If so, make a plan to replace what you took out.

    6. Review your investment accounts.

    If you have a brokerage account that you trade yourself, make sure the assets are roughly allocated the way you want them. Check to see if there are any investments you think you should sell right now. Do a quick review of your 401k or IRA account as well. These are longer time horizon accounts, so you probably don’t want to be trading frequently in these, but just take a quick look to make sure your investments are behaving. And give yourself some credit for continuing to save for retirement.

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    As with anything that requires discipline, getting into a routine can help. By checking in frequently, you notice any discrepancies promptly, and you’ll always know if you’re on track to achieve your financial goals.

    This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 6 Financial Chores You Should Tackle Daily, Weekly and Monthly

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