Day 1: Start Tracking Your Expenses
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Let's start with a fairly easy task: beginning to track your spending habits. There are websites and financial software programs devoted to helping keep close tabs on your household's cash flows, but tracking your expenses can be as simple as jotting them down whenever you find yourself opening your wallet or writing a cheque. Group your expenses into one of two main categories: fixed (i.e., spending that doesn't change and you can't do without) and discretionary. Get a start with this simple PDF worksheet.
Plan to keep track of your expenses for at least a month; that way you can identify patterns in your spending and zero in on your problem spots. Examining cash flows in this way is the first step in creating a budget that aligns with your priorities and the realities of your life. You may also find that tracking your expenditures will have the salutary effect of causing you to think twice before spending money on things you don't necessarily need.
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