The Australian National Audit Office has identified the advantages of activity based budgeting: The Advantages - Output costs are supported by a schedule of costed activities - Opportunities to examine work processes - Identifies non value-adding activities that can be eliminated - Basis of a performance measurement system and direct link between strategic goals and operational realities - Enables cost profiles to be managed - Accurate costing data for operational management - Costs are transparent, understandable and actionable Disadvantages - Activity definition may become too detailed and the model may become too complex and difficult to maintain - Underestimation of the task of collecting activity driver data - Implementation may be considered a financial management fad and there is insufficient commitment from operational managers Activity Based Budgeting Disadvantages - Usually requires buying Activity Based Budgeting software - Requires training of all managers including budgeting department - Requires people to really understand what drives their budget - Eliminates excuse that activity volume changed because it makes visible volume changes - Requires everyone to collect or estimate activity volume By understanding how resources are transformed into products or services, and byfocusing on the cost of activities, activity based budgeting helps an organisation to obtain a greaterunderstanding of how costs behave in their organization and which activities create significant amounts of cost. Talk to your doctor about a marriage counselor who can guide you and your partner through this challenge. Eliminate debt. The first step to eliminate debt is to stop accumulating more. Then you can eliminate it. Make sure to pay your bills on time. Use cash whenever possible and work out realistic payments with creditors to reduce financial liabilities. The problems inherent in alignining projected sales and expenses, analyzing a business for profit and cost projects against multiple dimensions and producing accurate projections outstrip the capabilities of most budgeting and forecasting systems. Therefore, budgeting and forecasting, which is the focus of much important attention in today's business world, should be given enough value and attention for a beneficial outcome. Make sure that you have not forgotten anything that you do not usually have on your monthy basis. Examples of these would be clothes and tax payments. You can leave your budget for an hour or so and come back to your checking, this way you can see things that you may have missed for the first time. A budget should not solely be concentrated on expenditures alone. A Better Budget with Zero Based Budgeting Everybody, from the business world to stay-at-home moms, needs a budget. Those who have budgets are better able to know their financial goals and have control on their spending in such a way that these goals are made achievable. If you ask different people about budgets, most likely you will get different answers. Home payments and maintenance, utilities, auto maintenance and payments, insurance payments, child care and alimony, education, food, clothing, entertainment and travel are just few of the many things you spend your money on regularly. In today's expensive living, budgeting should be practiced to give you power to rapidly gain control over your complicated spending.