don't feel bad - i'll tell you most people don't realize how much is withheld from their paychecks. When I tell them " you have paid in $11,500 from withholdings..." their eyes light up - withhold a little each pay soften's the blow but when you add it up, it can lead to a heart attack lol.
budgeting is something i can and have done with some. Its a matter of collecting all your info and putting it together. its been a while since i did one for individuals.
honestly you can do it too
the value added from hiring someone is the emotional tie is removed from the numbers, but that can be an expensive price (relatively speaking)
basic set up
list all your cash inflows (thats the easy part)
cash out
group you bills into buckets - housing, taxes, food, utilities (electric/gas, phone etc), insurances, auto. break each out as a line item
example off the top of my head:
Housing:
Mortgage
SD Tax
Township Tax
Homeowners insurance
Associations fee (if any)
PPL (what ever electric company)
Other energy companies (gas etc)
Verizon (what ever land line carrier you use)review your plan based on the calls made is it worth changing/keeping
Security system (if you have a services)
Food
Grocery shopping
eating out
for each car:
Auto - payments
repairs
fuel
insurance (look at your policy is your deductible to low - if you were to get a small breakage would you claim it? if not maybe you should increase your deductible)
tolls
Medical Needs
Transportation to/from
doctors fees -
Hospitals
Med's scripts
Med's OTC
Glasses
Cable/Satellite - basic v premium subscriptions
Cell phone(s)
Internet connection
Pets
Vet fees
Food
Insurance (if any)
etc
I think you get the idea - listing out all the items calls attentions to potential problems and where you can cut in order to save some. I'll say from past experience, once you detail out your cash outlays you will start to problem solve your own budget. I get sticker shock myself sometimes when i review my ATM withdrawals for the month. $20 here, $20 there, gas and yikes at the end of the month.
