One way to take control of your finances is to prepare a BUDGET. This will help you figure out where your money is going each month. A budget is a great tool to help you find a balance between your income and expenses and help you understand how you can save toward your financial goals, whether it be for a long awaited dream vacation or for your children's college fund.
When using a budget planner, include the most basic expenses required for living day to day. This includes rent or mortgage payments, utilities, food, car payments, insurance and gasoline expense. For income, include the basic regular paycheck(s) you receive, not including overtime. Overtime should be an extra savings for you each month. You should always include a "Savings" line item in your budget too.
Here are a couple of tools that you can use to plan your budget:
https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/tools-and-resources/calculators-and-tools/budget-planner
http://financialplan.about.com/library/n_budget.htm
I also have an Excel spreadsheet Budget, that is fill-in and can be changed anytime. The Budget document will even add everything for you, so you can see exactly what your monthly savings would be. Please e-mail me and I will send you the Budget document to download to your computer.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me or call me at (209) 329-1255.