Budget Busters

Congratulations, you've got a budget: $400 a month for groceries. $2,000 for rent or mortgage, and 15% of your take-home pay distributed across your six-month emergency savings fund, IRA and 401k.

Wait ... nothing left over for savings? You have your budget busters (or bad math) to thank for that. Got a tooth ache? Crowns can cost $800. Like the feel of the wind in your hair? Speeding tickets can run you $200 and an extra $500 for a lawyer if you're at risk of losing your license. Are you freelancing, or taking additional income on the side? Tax time can be a horror show, especially if you don't pay estimated quarterly taxes. The government takes about 30% from your gross income -- and if you don't save for it, you could take on debt just to pay it off.

Plan for the unexpected, and those budget busters won't get the best of you.

Footnotes

In yesterday's DailyWorth, apologies to Oöna Health Inc for not including a link to your website, and to Daisy Janie for butchering your spelling not once, but twice.

Welcome Claire Poole, DailyWorth Contributor

Claire Poole is a Houston-based writer who likes to write about business and personal finance. She has contributed freelance articles to Worth, Money and BusinessWeek and had staff positions at Forbes, El Financiero and Mexico Business magazine. She is currently a senior writer at TheDeal.com, where she covers energy.

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