Personal Budget Pie Chart, and knowledge?
I have recently taken a keen interest in my financial situation,
and am planning for retirement (from my job, not from publishing
this 'zine; make no mistake!). I use a variety of tools to track
my purchasing and saving habits, from personal finance managers to
spreadsheets. IRAs have been started, and I am in my fourth year
of setting aside $2,000 for my future.
I have also stopped using my credit cards, to prevent myself from
making those impulsive spending sprees. It has been a month, and I
can see the difference already. Living on borrowed money is no way
to live.
My strategy is pretty straightforward: enter my checkbook data
into my finance manager (originally ExpressCheck, now Electronic
Teller), as well as a spreadsheet (Lotus 1-2-3). The spreadsheet
generates a bar graph, so I can follow each rise and fall as the
months progress. Another spreadsheet tracks my IRA accounts as
they accumulate tax-deferred interest.
A pie chart is also made of the various expenses categories (rent, car,
computer, etc.). It helps to show where the money is going, and to plan
a budget.
In your case, it's probably a cow pie chart