Creating a budget includes more than listing existing bills and planning when you’ll pay them off each month. When creating a budget, you also need to address preexisting health conditions and home concerns. Read on to learn how to integrate needs like weight management and home maintenance into your new budget.
Plan for Healthy Food
Improve your health and combat national health problems like obesity by budgeting for healthy food. Doctors deem about one in three Americans overweight, while two in five Americans receive a diagnosis of obesity, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. If you fall into one of these categories, a great way to lose weight is by budgeting for healthy groceries using a meal service like Dinnerly or Gobble. Choose a low-fat, no-sugar, or keto plan that will keep you on track to cook and eat healthy meals.
Budget for Medical and Dental Checkups
Create a medical line item in the budget that includes monthly insurance premiums and the co-pays necessary for annual checkups. Although employers in the U.S. provide medical coverage, you typically need to choose and purchase your dental and vision coverage. If you already have a regular dentist, find out which insurance policies they accept. Otherwise, pick the insurance policy you like best and choose from the more than 100,000 general dentists Zippia states work in the U.S.
Take the same route in choosing vision coverage. The country offers a plethora of ophthalmologists. If you don’t already have a regular eye doctor, choosing an insurance policy that includes one will help you better manage your ocular health.
Write In a Line Item for Home Maintenance
Every homeowner’s budget needs a line item for home maintenance. As a rule, annual maintenance costs between 1% and 4% of the home’s total value. If you own a home with a value of $100,000, budget between $1,000 and $4,000 for its maintenance. This maintenance includes home repairs, pest control treatments, and curb appeal improvements.
According to a report by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), about $5 billion in U.S. annual property damage comes from wildlife infestations, such as birds and rodents. Only repairing your home comes out of your budget, though. Reduce your monthly expenditures by sweeping up spills quickly, cleaning regularly, and repairing small items like torn window screens before they enable bugs to cause a larger problem.
Budget for Wardrobe Updates
Including clothing as a line item doesn’t mean monthly shopping for the latest fashions. It refers to planning for expenses like a heavy winter coat since clothes wear thinner, can become torn, etc. Price items like hosiery that require monthly replacement and big-ticket items like a winter coat. The total of these items creates your annual budget line while dividing by 12 gives you the monthly line item.
Address Healthy Living
Remove a gym membership that you don’t use from your budget. Replace it with an investment in a superb pair of walking shoes or cross-trainers. Put the shoes on every day and walk around your neighborhood. Set a goal of 10,000 per day and work up to it with these free cardiovascular exercise that works out every muscle group all at once.
Putting It All Together in Your Budget
A monthly budget covers more than just bills. It also designates funds for groceries, home care, health care, exercise, and other necessary items that help a person combat preexisting health and home conditions. Amend your budget to cover these necessities, so you will have the money for things you need. A budget sets financial priorities, so prioritize your home and health so you beat preexisting conditions to improve your overall well-being.
