I get quite a few questions from people about this website and one of the most common questions I get is how to get personal expenses under control. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Before you can ever start to pay off your debt, you have to figure out how to spend less than you have coming in. The first place to start is by preparing a family budget. It gives you a starting point and shows you where you stand today. From there you can start to implement as many of our budget tips as you’d like until you are at a point where you are paying off a nice little chunk of what you owe each month.

A great place to start is with the amount of money you spend on groceries. This article on guidelines for a family food budget is a great place to start. Of course tracking any personal expenses for a while can be quite the eye opening experience and will help you pinpoint all kinds of thinks that you waste money on.

But don’t stop at just everyday stuff. Creating a budget for this years family vacation or shopping for Christmas gifts on a budget is just as important and will help you save a nice chunk of change each year.

With all these new saving and budgeting habits you are going to develop it’s important you set aside a little money for fun. I call this the entertaining budget. Use it for whatever you enjoy… eating out, getting a fancy coffee or buying a new blouse. Spending a little bit each month on just “for fun” will help you stick to your new spending habits and will keep you from feeling deprived.