Keeping track of credit card spending is an essential part of budgeting.  If you don’t keep track of what you are using your credit card for then it leads to overspending and over the limit credit balances.

Credit Cards by pfreviews at Flickr.com

One way of the best ways to keep track of your credit card spending is to keep a list of what your credit card purchases are each month.  Don’t rely on your memory each month to tell you whether you are near the credit limit or the amount that you have set for yourself to use.

The list could be in the form of a checkbook register, a ledger sheet, a computer ledger sheet, or simply a piece of paper to keep the credit card purchase information written on. In each row, put the name of the place where you used the card. the amount that you charged, and the date that you used the card.

Total the list periodically throughout the month. This will help you keep track of how close you are to the amount that you can comfortably pay off each month.  When you get to the amount you’ve set, then stop using the credit card.

If you use a handwritten ledger, checkbook register, or simply a sheet of paper, you can attach the receipts to the sheet to keep a more accurate record. if you use a computer spreadsheet, print off the page when you add the periodic totals during the month and attach the receipts to it.

By keeping the list, you have a register that you can balance. When you balance your credit card, you will know if you have charges on the bill that do not belong to you or your spouse.

What are some ways that you keep track of your monthly credit card charges?

Till next time,

JT Locke

The Frugal Housewife

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