A year ago I decided to start this “Quick Tip” series with the intention to publish actionable ideas that help you being better and getting more done. Yet, looking through my posts I realized I had not written a single post about financial matters in this series. And that despite knowing how distracting financial issues can be.

I am not your mother and I am not Clark Howard, whom I listened to for years until they took him off the public radio channel I used to listen to. Or he left, I don’t know.

What I know and what you know is that keeping a budget is the only way to have peace of mind about your finances. You just need to know what is going on on your bank account(s). Period.

Isn’t money often the biggest elephant in the room? I cannot tell how many project meetings I suffered through in which the fact that funds are limited abruptly ended two hours of big visions about (im)possible solutions. Don’t get me wrong, I am living for big visions, but they have their time.

If your basement is under water because a pipe leaks, you better call the plumber first and then think about how much you rather be on a tropical island sipping a Piña Colada in the shade of palm trees. When you’re a standing feet deep in gunk you better know how much the plumber can costs you to still be able to make this trip.

Or at least you want to know how much you can put aside each month to make this trip in the foreseeable future. (more…)