Did you know that one in four parents in the United States is single? In fact, 19.6 million children are being raised by single parents. Most single-parent households (81 percent) are led by moms, but quite a few (19 percent) are led by dads, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
Acting as the sole provider for your children, with no spouse to turn to for monetary support, can create a number of financial challenges. As a single parent, you must plan ahead to manage all financial situations. It also is important to live within a reasonable budget and save money to deal with unexpected emergencies.
Acting as the sole provider for your children, with no spouse to turn to for monetary support, can create a number of financial challenges. As a single parent, you must plan ahead to manage all financial situations. It also is important to live within a reasonable budget and save money to deal with unexpected emergencies.
Single parents run into problems if they don't keep a firm handle on their spending. It's easy to overspend if you don't keep track of where your money goes. Spend a couple of months adding gathering receipts and adding up your expenses so you can get a good idea of where your money goes. Next, subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income. Because you are the sole breadwinner, you can't depend on any additional income. So if you spend more than you take in, you have a big problem. The trick is to figure out where you can cut costs. Divide your expenses into essentials such as food, housing, electricity and transportation, and non-essentials like eating out. Look at the essential expenses and decide if there's any way you can save money, such as switching to a cheaper phone service provider or using coupons to save on groceries. Meanwhile, look at non-essentials that can be drastically reduced or eliminated altogether.
