One of the things I hear people say about finances is that they have never been good with money.  One reason is it is one thing many of us were not taught when growing up.  It’s the same as when you trying learning other things, just do a little at a time.  I feel it is important for us to learn about finances and to teach children how to manage finances before they get out of school.

One of the first things is to track your expenses.  For at least a week, keep track of everything you spend money on.  Either keep a small notebook with you and write down each expense or keep your receipts and write them down each night.  At the end of the week, take a look at what you spent your money on and see if there are any expenses you can cut out.

Once you have an idea of how much you spend on the different categories, it is easier to work on a budget.  Most people think of a budget as a shackle.  But having a budget you are controlling your money instead of your money controlling you.  Start by listing your income and then list your fixed expenses that you need to pay each month.  Once you subtract your fixed expenses from your income, you can see what you have left to spend on other items.

It is also important to save some each month also.  If you have an emergency fund saved, when unexpected things happen, you can use that money instead of going into credit card debt.

One resource to get information and to hear stories from people who have conquered debt is The Dave Ramsey Show at 7 – 10 PM weeknights on WDAY AM 970.