Determine the net monthly
income that you expect to receive in the next calendar month. Some people
create one budget and use it until their finances change but the best way to
budget is on a month-to-month basis. Some months may have more paychecks than
another and you may find that some quarterly or annual payments will crop up
and throw a standard budget off. Once you have determined your monthly income
for the upcoming month, write that down on the top of your budget sheet.
List out all of your
regular monthly expenses underneath your income information. You will want to
list the type of expense, the amount of the expense and the due date. Some
examples of regular monthly expenses are rent/mortgage, utility payments,
insurance premiums and an auto loan.
Subtract your regular
monthly expenses from your net income amount. This is not a required step but
it helps you to visualize how much of your monthly income is used on regular
expenses. It will also help you determine if your housing or auto expenses
account for an unusually large portion of your income.
Write down all of your
debt accounts in the next section. Examples of debt accounts are credit cards,
student loans and installment loans. As with the regular monthly expenses,
write down the debt name, monthly payment amount and due date. Subtract these
figures from the figure that you reached in Step 3.
List any variable expenses
that may come up. Examples of variable expenses may be an annual life insurance
premium or quarterly waste disposal fee. Subtract these amounts from the number
that you figured in Step 4.
Set aside funds for any
savings and/or investment goals that you may have. It is important to set aside
a portion of your income for savings. If a financial emergency arises, you can
tap into your savings instead of looking to a credit card to cover the expense.
Repeat these steps every
month. It will likely take two or three months to fine tune your budget as you
remember items that you may not have included in your original budget.
Nails make it
easier to pick up small things, clean a frying pan, and scratch an itch. They
also provide an external sign of your health, with weak, brittle nails often
signaling some nutritional deficiency. Ignore your nails and you could wind up
with painful ingrown nails or annoying fungal infections.
Follow these 14
tips for not only well-groomed, but healthy nails on all 20 fingers and toes.
1. To keep your
nails hydrated, rub a small amount of petroleum jelly into your cuticle and the
skin surrounding your nails every evening before you go to bed or whenever your
nails feel dry. Keep a jar in your purse, desk drawer, car — anywhere you might
need it. Not a fan of petroleum jelly? Substitute castor oil. It’s thick and
contains vitamin E, which is great for your cuticles. Or head to your kitchen
cupboard and grab the olive oil — it also works to moisturize your nails.
2. Wear rubber
gloves whenever you do housework or wash dishes. Most household chores, from
gardening to scrubbing the bathroom to washing dishes, are murderous on your
nails. To protect your digits from dirt and harsh cleaners, cover them with
vinyl gloves whenever it’s chore time. And for extra hand softness, apply hand
cream before you put on the rubber gloves.
3. When pushing
back your cuticles (it is not necessary to cut them) come in at a 45-degree
angle and be very gentle. Otherwise the cuticle will become damaged, weakening
the entire nail, says Mariana Diaconescu, manicurist at the Pierre Michel Salon
in New York City.
4. Trim your
toenails straight across to avoid ingrown toenails. This is particularly
important if you have diabetes.
5. Dry your hands
for at least two minutes after doing the dishes, taking a bath/shower, etc.
Also dry your toes thoroughly after swimming or showering. Leaving them damp
increases your risk of fungal infection.
6. Air out your
work boots and athletic shoes. Better yet, keep two pairs and switch between
them so you’re never putting your feet into damp, sweaty shoes, which could
lead to fungal infections.
7. Wear 100
percent cotton socks. They’re best for absorbing dampness, thus preventing
fungal infections.
8. Stretch out the
beauty of a manicure by applying a fresh top coat every day, says Susie Galvez,
owner of Face Works Day Spa in Richmond, Virginia, and author of Hello
Beautiful: 365 Ways to Be Even More Beautiful.
9. Make your nails
as strong as a horse’s hooves, and take 300 micrograms of the B vitamin biotin
four to six times a day. Long ago, veterinarians discovered that biotin
strengthened horses’ hooves, which are made from keratin, the same substance in
human nails. Swiss researchers found that people who took 2.5 milligrams of
biotin a day for 5.5 months had firmer, harder nails. In a U.S. study, 63
percent of people taking biotin for brittle nails experienced an improvement.
10. Add a glass of
milk and a hard-boiled egg to your daily diet. Rich in zinc, they’ll do wonders
for your nails, especially if your nails are spotted with white, a sign of low
zinc intake.
11. File your
nails correctly. To keep your nails at their strongest, avoid filing in a
back-and-forth motion — only go in one direction. And never file just after
you’ve gotten out of a shower or bath — wet nails break more easily.
12. Massage your
nails to keep them extra strong and shiny. Nails buffing increases blood supply
to the nail, which stimulates the matrix of the nail to grow, says Galvez.
13. Polish your
nails, even if it’s just with a clear coat. It protects your nails, says
manicurist Diaconescu. If you prefer color, use a base coat, two thin coats of
color, and a top coat. Color should last at least seven days but should be
removed after 10 days.
14. Avoid polish
removers with acetone or formaldehyde. They’re terribly drying to nails, says
Andrea Lynn Cambio, M.D., a New York City dermatologist. Use acetate-based
removers instead.