Implementing Your Plan

Now that you have some ideas on how to save money, it's important to start enforcing them. After all, the plan can't work if you don't actually stick to it!

Start tracking your spending. Write down every time you write a check, use your debit card, or get cash from an ATM. Keep your receipts so you always know where your money is going. Keep all this information in one place, on one sheet of paper so you can easily see how you're doing at the end of the month. Compare your income and expenses to last month to see if you've made some progress.

If you track your spending every month, you will be able to easily see your financial progress by looking at these sheets. If you're not making the progress you were hoping to make, look through your latest spending report to see how it can be improved. Remember, now that you know where you are and where you want to go, it's much easier to figure out how to get there. It may take some time, but you can make it happen!