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4 Moving Beyond Financial ChallengesMoving Beyond Financial Challenges Even though the expenses incurred because of MS are unavoidable there may be ways to reduce them reduce other expenses to offset them or receive assistance. Managing these expenses requires looking at your income and expenses as a whole. Go through your financial ABCs assess budget cut. ASSESS In order to manage your expenses you must first know what they are. In this age of debit cards and online banking many of us are paying first and asking questions later. Experts recommend a look back period review and assess each expense for the last 30 to 60 days and then account for any expenses that only happen quarterly annually or on another predictable schedule such as your regular follow-up MRI property taxes or maintenance for your vehicle. It is difficult to account for the unpredictable nature of MS exacerbations therefore you might want to consider your past expenses and factor in savings for these unplanned costs. BUDGET A 2013 Gallup poll shows that less than a third of all Americans use a defined monthly budget to control their household expenses.Yet for many people a budget can help them to identify waste save money and reduce the stress of financial uncertainty. Prepare a household budget outlining all your regular expenses compared against your total income.This will give you a basis to explore what expenses can be reduced or eliminated on your own or through assistance programs. CUT Cutting your expenses doesnt mean giving up all comfort convenience and entertainment. While you may identify some true waste in your spending for example paying for magazines you rarely have time to read it is more likely that you may identify spending leaks where you are paying more than necessary. For example are you paying for services on your landline phone such as call waiting call forwarding or even long distance calling when you use your cell phone for those services Depending on your local emergency system and the location services available through your cellular phone provider you may still need a landline but by reducing it to only minimal service you can save significantly on your monthly expenses.