Track Your Expenses
Do you ever wonder what happened to the $20 bill you got out of the ATM? Does money just seem to disappear? A good way to find out where that money disappears to is to keep all your receipts for 2 - 4 weeks, and to keep a log of all other money spent without a receipt. This will help you decide if you are spending money on things that are important to you, or if you are just spending out of habit. Once you see what you are spending and where, you can then choose where to cut back, and then you can have money for more meaningful purchases that are higher up on your priority list!
An important part of tracking your expenses is to get it down on paper! It is important to not only track your expenses, but also your income to see just how you are using and managing your money!