Problem: Article: This is the first rule of budgeting, and pretty much the only one. It sounds fairly obvious, but it's easy to go over budget, even when you have one in place. Be mindful of your spending habits and what your money is going towards. Larger expenses can be the most unpleasant but most effective ways to stay within a budget. If you take an annual vacation, consider staying home this year. Smaller expenses can also add up. Try to identify and cut back on any expensive luxuries you enjoy. If you enjoy a weekly massage or have a preference for expensive wine, cut down on the frequency of these treats so you're spending money on them only once a month or once every second month. Save money on smaller expenses by switching to generic brands and eating home more often. Try not to go out to eat more than one or two times every week. See if you can reduce any of your fixed expenses by switching to a less expensive cell phone plan, reducing your television package, or improving your home's energy efficiency. Your money has to work for you, not the other way around. You don't want to feel like a slave to your budget, or to money in general, so it's important to allow yourself a small treat every month that won't break your budget. Don't abuse your own rewards system to the point where it gets counterproductive and ends up affecting your budget. The idea is to treat yourself to smaller, cheaper items like a latte or a new shirt and to avoid splurging on more expensive items like a vacation or a pricey pair of shoes. If you use credit cards, you should try to keep them at a zero balance every month to avoid costly fees. If you cannot pay off the current balances, prioritize paying them off within a reasonable time period so that you can get to zero balances. Try switching to cash payments for most weekly purchasesparticularly "extras" like eating out or coffee shop lattes. This can help you control your spending, as people are more aware of the money they're spending when using cash than when swiping a card. . Take better advantage of itemized deductions when you file your taxes every year. Start keeping your receipts, especially if you're an independent contractor and work from home or remotely. There are many amenities you can expense as part of your contract work when doing your taxes. It's a good idea to research ways to get a better tax refund as a contractor or ask your accountant how you can get a better refund. If you're a homeowner and have sufficient evidence, you might be able to cut your real estate taxes by challenging the value that a home assessor puts on your property. Don't factor in potential (unsure) sources of revenue, such as year-end bonuses, inheritances, or tax refunds. You only want to include guaranteed money in your budget.
Summary: Stick to your budget and don't overspend. Try to reduce your expenses. Treat yourself periodically, but within reason. Pay off credit card balances every month. Cut your taxes Appeal your home assessment. Don't count on windfalls.

Problem: Article: Before you begin drinking is when you should eat foods high in carbs. Once you start drinking, the carbs will help soak up excess alcohol. Dairy products and foods high in natural fats are also great because they coat the lining of your stomach. This helps slow the absorption of alcohol into your system. Examples of things to eat before you drink are pasta, falafel, a burger or sandwich, pizza, or avocados. Try to limit yourself to a set number of drinks. This way you can avoid over drinking. One way to do this is to bring a set amount of cash with you to the bar. This way you can avoid buying too many drinks. You can also let the bartender know ahead of time that you don't want to drink too much, or order a couple of non-alcoholic beverages throughout the night. You can also practice self-restraint and tell yourself that you will only have three or four drinks throughout the night. Do this by taking 30-minute water breaks in between drinks. Keep track of how many drinks you've had by asking the server or bartender to not remove your empty glasses. Before you start drinking, consider asking a friend if they can let you know once you've finished a certain number of drinks. Try to avoid mixing beer with liquor, especially if you have already consumed beer first. Also try to avoid mixing different liquors together like vodka, rum and whiskey, for example. Instead, keep it consistent with clear or dark liquor, beer, or wine. Additionally, clear liquor, like vodka and gin, is much easier on your body than dark liquor like whiskey and bourbon. It typically takes the longest amount of time to get drunk on beer. This is because it has a high fluid volume than other alcoholic beverages. If you're trying to get less intoxicated, commit to only drinking beer for the evening.
Summary: Eat foods high in carbs. Limit your drinking. Avoid mixing drinks. Drink only beer.

Problem: Article: Utility is the "value" or "satisfaction" that a consumer gets from consuming a certain number of goods. A good way of thinking of it is that utility is how much money a consumer would hypothetically pay for the satisfaction provided by a good. For example, let's say that you are hungry and are buying fish to eat for supper. Let's also say that one fish costs $2. If you're so hungry that you would pay $8 for the fish, the fish is said to provide $8 worth of utility. In other words, you're willing to pay $8 to get the satisfaction from the fish no matter what it actually costs. Total utility is just the concept of utility applied to more than one good. If consuming one good gives you a certain amount of utility, consuming more than one of the same good will give you an amount that is higher, lower, or the same. For example, let's say that you plan to eat two fish. However, after eating the first fish, you're not quite as hungry as before. Now, you'd only pay $6 for the extra satisfaction of the second fish. It's not worth as much to you now that you're somewhat full. This means the two fish provide $6 + $8 (first fish) = $14 of "total utility" together. Note that it doesn't matter whether or not you actually buy the second fish. MU is only concerned with what you would pay for it. In real life, economists use complex mathematical models to predict what consumers hypothetically would pay for something. To find MU, you need two different total utility measurements. You'll use the difference between them to make your MU calculation. Let's say that, in the example situation in Step 2, you decide that you're hungry enough to eat four whole fish. After the second fish, you're feeling a little full, so you would only pay about $3 for the next fish. After the third fish, you're almost completely full, so you would only pay $1 for the final fish. The satisfaction you would get from it is almost cancelled out by the feeling of being uncomfortably full. You can say that the four fish provide a total utility of $8 + $6 + $3 + $1 = $18. Divide the difference in total utility over the difference in units. The answer you get will be the marginal utility, or the utility given by each additional unit consumed.In the example situation, you would calculate your MU as follows: $18 - $14 (example from Step 2) = $4 4 (fish) - 2 (fish) = 2 $4/2 = $2 This means that, between the second and the fourth fish, each extra fish is only worth $2 of utility to you. This is an average value; the third fish is actually worth $3 and the fourth is actually worth $1, of course.
Summary:
Understand the economic concept of utility. Find the total utility from consuming a certain number of goods. Find the total utility from consuming a different number of goods. Calculate MU.