Stretch My Paycheck - My Allstate Financial Solutions

Payday feels so good at the end of a long week. It feels even better when you know there will be some extra money for the things you want in life, not just the things you need.

The good news is that there are lots of ways to make this happen. In fact, you might just need to make a few small changes in your spending habits.

All in all, stretching your paycheck involves one of two things: spending less or earning more. The idea might seem overwhelming at first—but you can do it. Take things one small step at a time. Give yourself a few months to make the adjustments you need. Relax, and give yourself credit for your efforts. Once you take even one of the steps below, you’ll be better off.

Start With The Basics

Tweak Your Plan

You might be surprised at how doable this is once you take a closer look. Here's the general process:

Keep track of all your income and spending for a month. (You may be surprised at how the little expenses add up.)
Pick out the easiest ways to lower your expenses, and work on those.
Look for ways to bring in extra money. Every dollar counts.
Fine-tune your plan by repeating the above steps until your income and spending are well-balanced.

The goal is to get to a point where your income covers all your monthly expenses with enough left over to save for emergencies.